Donkey Tails
by LuckyDuck932
Summary: Jiminy Cricket was too late ... Pinocchio was transformed into a donkey like his best friend , Lampwick . Now the two have teamed up with three other donkeys who long to be humans to escape the circus and save Pinocchio s father , Geppetto .
1. Donkey Boys

Lampwick and Pinocchio looked out of the pool hall`s saloon doors . Jiminy Cricket walked off in his huffiest state ever .

Lampwick snarled " Good riddance , you grasshopper !"

But Pinocchio was regretting this all . He knew deep down in his heart , deep _deep_ down , that he should of left the pool hall with Jiminy . But Lampwick was his best friend . If there was one thing Pinocchio knew , friends don`t leave each other behind . But wasn`t Jiminy another best friend ? Dis his conscience count as a best buddy ? Pinocchio had to think about that one .

Lampwick puffed his cigar proudly , sending rings of smoke from his lips . " He has to go and ruin everything for us , huh Pinokey ? "

Pinocchio looked at his cigar . He hated the taste of it , and he hated the beer . Lampwick told Pinocchio to smoke it and drink it "anyways " . He said that only "cool " people smoked . One puff , though, made Pinocchio think Lampwick wasn`t as cool as he thought he was . Lampwick also seemed to be less of a true friend them anything . Pinocchio sighed partly form exhaustion of having too much fun and partly from his battling thoughts .

"No Lampwick," Pinocchio said flicking away his cigar into the spittoon with a_ clank !_ . "Jiminy looks out for the best for me . He my conscience ..."

"And I`m your best friend ! " Lampwick hissed . " So Pinocchio , are you gonna listen to ... to a bug ... or are you going to listen to a true pal like me ?"

Pinocchio didn`t know who he was pals with anymore . Should he stay loyal to Lampwick or run after his conscience , who was there for Pinocchio from the very beginning ? He head , fighting a raging war , ached with frustration . He thought he was felling the affect of all the cigars he smoked .

Lampwick , in anger , jammed his cue against the cue ball . That lead to another ripe in the felt of the pool table ( the earlier one was from Pinocchio ) and the que snapped in even piece . " Darn it! " Lampwick cursed banging his fist against the table . "I`m just gonna get another que in the back room " He said and walked to the other room .

Pinocchio sighed again .

He felt like leaping out of the chair and running after Jiminy . Jiminy Cricket couldn`t of gone far considering his size and would probably be easy to catch up to . Suddenly Pinocchio heard a _thunk!_ .

Pinocchio scanned the floor for what could of made that noise . He saw his hat slide on the floor . He grabbed in and placed it back on his head . But then his ears began to itch . As he stretched he felt his ears being in a different place . They felt long and fuzzy ...

Then Pinocchio heard a scream "Lampwick are you okay ?" He asked .

"Swell .. just swell . I`ll be out in a minute ." Lampwick called .

Pinocchio pulled down his ears . They were more flexible and they where donkey ears . Pinocchio had to cover them up . But how ?

He then saw a piece of fabric , goodness know what it was doing in a pool hall , and tied it around his heard like a turban .

Lampwick came back with his pool cue . But just like Pinocchio , he had a clocked his head . Lampwick looked at his best friend sighing in relief ." Pinoke " Lampwick said quietly after a few minutes of silence . " Why are you wearing a turban ?"

"Me ? Well , I saw a spider and got scared and hide under this cloth ... "

"So did I " Lampwick rushed in .

The stood in the pool hall look curiously at the turbans . "Lampwick ?" Pinocchio asked .

"Yeah . "

"Would you do me a favor ?"

"Sure . "

"Could you take off your turban ? "

"Me ?" Well not if I see yours !" Lampwick said grasping his turban in protection .

"Okay , fine ." Pinocchio sighed . He was about to take his off but he got an idea . "Wait! Instead of taking off our turbans one at a time , how about we do it together !"

"Sounds fair . "Lampwick nodded "On the count of three . One ! Two ! Three !"

And with that they both flew off their turbans . Instead of having normal flesh boy`s ears , the both had grey or reddish -brown ears . Instead of pitying each other they simply laughed . They laughed and laughed until their sides ached in pain .

"Okay... " Lampwick said gasping for air . "Okay... okay" He began to laugh again but it turned into a donkey`s bray . "Ha ha ha he-haw !"

Lampwick quickly covered up his mouth . Pinocchio stared at his best friend . "You okay ?"

Lampwick nodded .

Pinocchio turned around "Maybe you need some water ..."

But just as he tried to leave the pool hall , he heard a ripe in the seat of his pants . Turning he saw a grey tail with a shiny black tassel . Looking up in horror he saw that Lampwick had also grown a fine brown tail . Lampwick was death pale and was struggling to stand .

"Pinocchio I can`t stand anymore ! " He yelled in fear .

"Me neither !" Pinocchio screamed .

They both fell to the floor , braying like made . Slowly , their human body turned into fur and faces turn to muzzles .

Jiminy came in , really running . " Pinocchio! The kids ... the boys .. their all donkeys !... Oh my ! " He stuttered .

There was nothing Jiminy Cricket could do .

It was too late ...


	2. Regret

Lampwick and Pinocchio stood in the pool hall gasping in horror about what just happened.

Jiminy stood on top of the pool table. "We got to get you two out of here!"

Pinocchio ran out the back entrance of the pool hall, looking for an exit to this cruel world.

Why did he have to be such an idiot? He didn`t listen to his conscience and ended up becoming an actor. That was rather swell, until the performance ended. That wicked old gypsy locked him in a cage and said he was going to put Pinocchio`s face in everybody`s eyes! And just `because he was a gold brick, Stromboli was going to chop him into fire wood! Luckily, the Blue Fairy would help then, but would she help now in his greatest hour of humiliation?

They turned the corner. Pleasure Island was a mess, everything was beat up, torn down, and destroyed almost beyond repair. Lampwick wanted to say _Gee , that was one swell party last night _and laugh about it , but now didn`t seem like a moment to joke about .

The Island`s colorful palate had been stripped to a dark steel grey. The popcorn and junk food aroma vanished. Foot prints disappeared into donkey hoof marks.

A puddle of water was near Pinocchio`s side. He looked in the reflection, a tiny silver donkey with long ears. It made him want to cry.

Lampwick walked slowly, his head in shame. Being on this island was wrong, and deep down he knew it. When he hopped on the front seat of the coach early that month, a tiny voice had said _you fool! Pleasure Island is only going to get you into trouble. _But on the other hand, a strong and sarcastic voice said _Humph! What would a few days of fun do to you? Go ahead kid, have all the fun you want! _Lampwick listened to the stronger voice. He heard his weak conscices through the time on Pleasure Island telling him that smoking , destroying that model home , and skipping was all wrong and that he should go home and be a good boy . Again, the stronger voice said, _who cares? _

Lampwick wished he had listened to his conscience, he wouldn`t of been a donkey if he had!

"Hey you missed two! " A voice said, powerful and almighty. It was the man that brought them to the Island!

Pinocchio and Lampwick`s instant instincts were _Run! _Lampwick didn`t have to debate for that one!

Jiminy holding onto Pinocchio tail swayed back and forth as Pinocchio dodged garbage and debris.

A gang of men, or what Pinocchio thought where monsters, ran after them. The monsters where black shadow like figures with glowing yellow eyes.

Jiminy directed Pinocchio to the exit, the exit from this living hell. "Okay Pinocchio, left! Left! They two donkey made it to the locked doors. Lampwick clawed at it with his hoof. As the donkey fretted over how there was no way out, two of the monster grabbed each donkey by the ears and placed them each in a sack.

As Pinocchio and Lampwick were brought to the loading station, they tumbled hoping to ripe the burlap bags and be free from this life. But, just like their donkey bodies, they could not escape the sacks.

The two donkeys where plopped out of their sacks. They looked at each other, exchanging horrific looks.

The Coachman, brooder than he was tall stood before his newly transformed gold bricks. He turned to the larger reddish brown one. "And what is your name?" He asked sinisterly.

Lampwick tried to say his name but it only came out as Hee haw! He gasped. The Coachman grinded. He turned to the little grey one with blue eyes. "Can you talk? "

Pinocchio tried to say something but it only came out as brays. He shook his head.

"No?" The Coachman sarcastically said."Well in you go ..." He stripped Lampwick and Pinocchio off the remains of their clothes and banged them into a crate with two other donkeys. They both hit their heads against the back wall of the crate.

Lampwick struggled to stay concise, his head throbbing in pain. He could no longer stand and tumbled into the hay.

Over the next few minutes, Pinocchio felt the boat tugging on to heaven knows where! He cried silently, crying for his father.

"Cheer up Pinoke." His conscience reassured the donkey. "It can`t be all bad! "

But through his tears Pinocchio sobbed "I`ll might never see my father again!"

Pinocchio cried himself to sleep that night, begging for the Blue Fairy to help him. He didn`t care if he never become a real boy, he just wanted to see his father!


	3. To the Circus

Lampwick woke up early the next morning. His head aching, body weak with fatigue from transformation and throat begging for water. Even though he had a full night`s sleep he was exhausted. He had never been in so much pain in his entire life. The sun was just lighting the crate and Lampwick could see the other donkeys

The discomfort by being stuffed in a crate was not matched to the discomfort of not wearing any clothes. He felt a breeze where you really shouldn`t feel a breeze. Glancing up he saw Pinocchio, a tiny grey donkey was snoozing on. The two other donkeys, their names unknown, slept on the other side of the crate. They were both brownish in color and one was just a bit larger than Lampwick, and the other in between of Pinocchio and Lampwick`s size .

Lampwick heard the loud noise of a horn. He and the other donkeys where on a boat.

What if they were on a boat to America? Lampwick had heard of many people wishing to go to "The New World "for a better life or riches. In fact, his uncle and aunt and their son, Carlo had left to America a few weeks before Lampwick had gone to Pleasure Island .His Aunt and Uncle where his legal guardians and Lampwick really should have been on the boat as well, but the night before he ran away from home. There was no way he would leave Italy, the only home he ever knew .Although, he considered going to America, just once, to see the shops and grand cities the people who wrote letters back to Italy bragged about. After all, Lampwick had his whole life ahead of him and he was only 13 years old.

But all of that was taken away last night when he lost his humanity, possible forever.

Lampwick heard the ruffling of hay. Someone was getting up.

Lampwick weakly stood as one of the other boys got up. "Hey … "brayed the donkey. "Why am I in a crate? Why am I surrounded by donkeys? What the heck was in that beer?"

Lampwick looked at the kid "You are a donkey. It was a punishment for acting like a jackass."

"You ... you can talk?" The other one brayed in horror "Why can I understand you? " Slowly the kid glanced at his hoof, what he thought was a hand. "Ahhh! I`ve been framed! "

The donkey ran around the crate crying for his mother, tramping over Pinocchio who said "What was that for?" .The other donkey woke up and promptly said "Shut your pie hole! Can`t a donkey get any sleep around here?"

"I got to be dreaming… I just gotta be! If I slam into that wall I`ll wake up from this nightmare! "He brayed and with that he ran towards the back wall of the crate. "Dang it! Still a donkey! "

The donkey tried over and over to wake up from a nightmare that was a reality. It never worked.

Lampwick shook his head. "I`m sorry kid, but we were all turned into donkeys. "

The small donkey began to cry. "I just want to go home! I don`t deserve this! Let me out of here! "

Lampwick brayed. "We can`t go home, we`re being sold to a person for a life of work …_ hard_ work."

The older donkey, Lampwick thought the donkey was about 14 or maybe 15, went over to the crying one. "Quit it Frankie! We can`t help it and there is nothing we can do to turn us back!"

"Fred ... Fred you said that we could have fun without any consequences .You lied! "The smaller donkey (who name was Frankie) brayed.

"I didn`t know!" Fred brayed. "I didn`t know we would turn into jackasses! "

Pinocchio got up. "I just too stupid to listen to my conscience. " He dropped his head in shame. Everyone else did the same.

"Well, "brayed Fred after a few seconds of self pity "If where stuck like this, we might as well make the most of it. By the way what are you two guys` names? "

Lampwick brayed "Call me Lampwick. That`s not my real name, it`s really Romeo, but Lampwick is fine with me. "

"I`m Pinocchio" Pinocchio brayed.

"Nice to meet you. You might know, I`m Fred and this here is Frankie." Fred brayed.

The rest of the ride to the main land was cold, silent and boring. They finally lifted the crates off the boat as twilight came.

"Where do think we`re going?" Pinocchio asked Lampwick.

Lampwick shook his head. "Dunno. Hope the food `s swell, I`m hungry. "He said half joking. He knew donkey`s where only given hay, and he wasn`t going to get actual food.

The monsters led Pinocchio and Lampwick to a pen. Pinocchio was glad that he had some space to run around. He walked out of the pen in curiosity.

The pen was surprisingly clean and spacious. In fact it could have held another fair 75 donkey with plenty of walking space. Pinocchio walked around trying to make out faces of the boys he had met at the Island, but he could no longer recognize them. Most of them where crying and complaining. Pinocchio stood but the fence`s gate with Jiminy on his shoulder.

Pinocchio Lampwick came to where Pinocchio was standing. Since he was much bigger than Pinocchio he could see the people coming. "People are coming to buy us. "He sighed

People began to mob the donkeys, the Coachman standing at it all, naming prices to for the donkeys."20 liras each, signora. … Well what do you expect? These are purebred donkeys!"

Lampwick snorted at that. In no way was he or the other boys a "purebred "donkey. They where boys, humans, a completely different species. Though, their outwards appearance many give off to many people that they are donkeys, Lampwick vowed he would stay a human in mind. He would stay like that so he when he found his way out of this mess, he`d wouldn`t wish to be donkey. Although he doubted he would ever want to stay a donkey forever.

As they were being sold, the boy turned donkeys begged for mercy. But all of their pleas where censored by that hated donkey bray. Their new owners where blissfully unawhere of what the vile Coachman was selling them. Lampwick wished they knew, because maybe, just maybe, this all could have been prevented.

And then it came to Lampwick, this_ all _could have been prevented.

"_Stop it!" was all Lampwick could have said to his father, and all of those painful years could have been happy. His mother would know the truth, and she would spend her life with her son. Lampwick dreamed of the day he could have been set free from his abusive home. The day when the pain of his father would vanish. _

_Lampwick was ashamed to call that horrible monster his father. A drunk and a thief, Timo Lorgratzo was not a role model for his son. Lampwick`s momma kept him away from all of the violence , or at least she hoped she could of . _

_But how did Lampwick end up so much like his father? But instead of doing to jail for being charged with murder, Lampwick was sentcend to a life in a donkey`s body._

_Could the turning point of Lampwick`s personality been those years of his father`s beatings? Could he of been skipping school to hide all of that emotional drama? Why didn`t he listen to his conscience? Could he of escape his problems by ignoring his instincts? _

_To all of these questions Lampwick didn`t know the answer. _

At last people began to clear out of the pen. The boy turned donkeys vanished micracously. The Coachman greedily counted his money, the profit he made over a cruel trick.

Lampwick, Pinocchio, Fred, Frankie, and a few others where all that remained of the once human group from Pleasure Island. A man, clad in a fancy red velvet coat, a top hat, and a riduclously curly and long mustache."I`m looking to buy. "He said in a strong and powerful voice.

"`Corse you are! " The Coachman said slipping his newly earned money inside his coat. He raised his hat and said "I`m at your service."

"Yes," The man said quietly. "I am looking for 4 donkeys. "

"I gotta nice bunch right here, . " The Coachman pointed to Lampwick, Pinocchio, Fred, and Frankie.

"They shall do, Coachman. How much should I be paying you? "The man said taking out his check book.

"No checks, please. That will be 80 lira . "

The man pulled out enough coins , and handed them to the glove-cover palm of the evil Coachman . And the deal was sealed …

Pinocchio was somebody else's property . He didn`t belong to his father anymore, a stranger owned him , somebody who was unaware that donkeys had thoughts and feelings . Pinocchio longed to be human , or even be a puppet . His outward exterior was going to limit him to so many things , things he never even tried . He was just a little boy , who`s naïve ways got the best of him . What if he hadn`t gone with Honest John ? Would he still have a life with his father and possibly be a real boy ? Pinocchio wanted to cry over how he missed his chance , he took it up t be something – or go someplace – better , or so he thought . Being an actor ended being an epic failure and so did Pleasure Island .

Pinocchio and the rest where once again put into a crate and loaded onto a wagon .

"Where do think we`re going ? " Frankie brayed.

"Don`t know "Fred brayed . "But by the looks of it I think we`re going to a circus ."

"Hey Lampwick !" Pinocchio brayed his sprits lifted by this news . "Did you hear that ? We gonna live at a circus ! It`s going to be fun !"

Lampwick nodded slightly . _Fun _wasn`t exactly the word Lampwick was going to use to describe life as a circus donkey . Sure circuses where fun _, to a degree ._

Lampwick thought the fun ended when you weren't a human being . If you where an animal – an animal performing in the circus the joy was gone . Lampwick knew animals were beaten in and whipped if they were in circuses . He saw this on Pleasure Island when circus animals came to perform . A little donkey was being tormented by his cruel master . And now that Lampwick was a donkey ,he thought that the one being whipped was one that the Coachman had sold .

Lampwick anxiously looked outside of the wooden crate . Italian vineyards past him and he sighed a sigh of relief . He was still home though he looked different . It felt nice to come back to a world he left behind , the world he was born into .

"_Look at him Timo ! He looks like you ! "A woman said in bed holding her new born child close to her. _

_The wife passed a tiny bundle to the father ."Careful now , mind his head" she whispered trying not to disturb her little boy. Sure enough the sleeping red-head was the spitting image of his father . The father looked down at his son . He smiled as his son woke up and yawned , gazing his brown eyes for the first time at his dad ._

_It was a rare moment that the two had peace .They fought most of the time, often not speaking to each other. We she conceived a child , it was a moment of joy and the 9 months of waiting was the longest time they ever went without bickering .Though they weren't the perfect couple , they were still a family and they would try to make peace for the greater good for their son ._

_But peace didn`t last . They boy grew up alone , hiding all feelings . When his parent`s war raged he sobbed and yearned to be like other boys . To have a younger brother or sister , to have a happy family . His parent`s fighting had a big impact on his school performance . He failed test and teacher spoke ill of him . He grew lazy at his work. The school master whipped him , put a dunce cap on him , any form of humility was put on this student . But the school master didn`t know what happened at home . The beatings , the yelling , the coming home to a father how couldn`t even recondise his own flesh and blood because he was so drunk on beer and wine ._

_The boy eventual dropped out of school and lied to his mother on how well he did . He couldn`t let his mom , the only friend he had , down . He stole things , vandalized stuff , and his behavior out of home grew worse. Cops began to follow him . He was even put in jail for a night . He needed sanctuary … a safe haven … a place where he could escape .. But where ?_

_As he pondered that his worse tribulation came … the death of his mom …_

Pinocchio and the rest were going to be circus donkeys . But Frankie didn`t want to accept that . " Will we ever be human ? "

Lampwick looked at Frankie "I don`t know kid . But I promise you , if there`s a way out of this con I help us get us out . "

And that was a promise Lampwick planned to keep.

**I hope you like the chapter . **

**Stays tuned for more and please review if you like.**


	4. Miriam

Lampwick, Pinocchio, and the rest had finally made it to the red –striped, savory aroma, and somewhat pleasant Circus.

It may have seemed pleasant, but Lampwick was bothered by this. He looked around from the walls of the crate, his prison.

Fire eaters, jugglers, clowns, and even the puppeteers lined the dirt roads of the circus. Pinocchio was fascinated and intrigued by all of the magnificent sights. The little puppet-donkey-boy was unaware of how cruel a circus could really be.

The wagon stopped at the barn, a rutty old building with a coral. Grabbing the crate he kicked the gate of the pen with his fine leather boot. He walked into the barn with pride of his purchases. Yes, these fine little donkeys would bring crowds to gaze at their tricks. But first the new performers needed to be properly trained.

"Here you go … "He said opening the door of the crate. The ringleader grabbed some carrots for his satchel. "Come and get `em!"

No donkey budged. They were all scared stiff of this strange new "home".

After ten or so minutes of waiting the ringleader in anger and frustration dumped the crate completely upside down. The donkeys came tumbling out, shivering in fear.

"Pathetic asses …" The ringleader said under his breath. "Training should do them some good, they`ll learn who`s the better." And with that, the ringleader left, leaving his new performers with the other animals of the circus.

Frankie took one look around and glanced at his and the other boys donkey bodies. "Freddy, I don`t like this place! "

Fred sighed. "I don`t care for it either, but we gotta live through it. We gotta make the best of a bad situation. "

Lampwick instantly knew Fred was a leader and Frankie was the follower, much like he was with Pinocchio.

Jiminy nodded. From onto of Pinocchio`s head "Fred`s right. For now all you can do is hope.

Pinocchio nodded, shaking Jiminy on top of his post. "I think one day, we well be boys again. "

Jiminy hopped down and landed on Pinocchio`s muzzle. Pinocchio had to cross his eyes to look at his conscience. "This whole thing might take some time, you know. You might not be boys for a little while, but every bad boy gotta learn their lesson."

Lampwick regretted coming to Pleasure Island, memories of good times still lingering in his mind. Maybe he would be home if he had a conscience …

_What home? _He thought to himself. He had no home, no family, nothing. If he and Pinocchio had left Pleasure Island with Jiminy where would Lampwick go? Would he have to get a ticket to America and stay his aunts and uncles or worse, live in one of those orphanages? This scarred Lampwick, either way he was going to live a life of loneliness.

Fred, Frankie, Pinocchio, Lampwick and Jiminy gazed around. They noticed for once the animals, since they were all too wrapped up in their discussion. Their where other donkeys, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, and even a duck. Each one of the animal eyes starred at the newcomers.

After a while of awkward silence, Pinocchio began to speak. "Hello!'

An older donkey, grey and muscular stated back. "Hello yourself. Welcome to Circo deli Fratelli Lorenzo. What are your names?"

"I`m Lampwick, "Lampwick brayed.

"Lampwick?" One of the horses said. "Your previous owner named you after a candle? "

Lampwick shook his head. "No, Lampwick`s my nickname. And I didn`t have a previous owner, I`m a boy. Or, at least I was. "

The whole barn shook in laughter and Lampwick felt blood rush to his face. He knew he shouldn`t of said that, no one would of believed him. "I really am," he brayed quietly.

"Ha ha! You're as much as a human as I`m a man. "One horse said.

"We all where boys," Pinocchio brayed. The barn erupted in mirth.

"It`s the truth! My nose grows when I lie! "Pinocchio said.

"He`s really telling the truth! " Jiminy Cricket explained as he lepted down with his umbrella. "He`s learn his lesson with lying. "

"Oh, sure, where going to trust a grasshopper? " The older donkey brayed.

Lampwick and Pinocchio brayed quietly at the same time. "He`s not a grasshopper. He`s a cricket. "

Lampwick noticed that there was only one animal who wasn`t laughing. "I believe them. " She brayed.

"You do? " Fred brayed.

"Yes, "She said. " It`s possibly that they _could _of been boys. "

A horse approached the brave donkey. " Miriam, we all knew you were crazy when you got here, but this is unbelievable. "

She turned her head as the horse got up close. "Anything is possible. Why don`t you believe me Aaron? "

"Your insane, that`s why. "

Miriam gave Aaron an evil glare. "Come on, I`ll show you around. " Miriam brayed leading the boy –turned donkeys out the door of the barn.

"We`ll this is our little patch of Italy, "She sighed. " This is also the area for the petting zoo. Senorie Lorenzo feeds us at 6 o`clock every night , and depending on how much you proved yourself is how much he actually gives you . "

Lampwick looked at the dirt ground and looked for the tiniest bit of hay or grass, anything that he could eat. He found none.

"What are your names? " Miriam brayed. "

"My name`s Lampwick, or you can call me Romeo. Romeo is my real name."

"I`m Lampwick, or you can call me Romeo. That`s my real name."

Miriam smiled. "I`m fine with Lampwick. " She turned to the little grey donkey. "What`s yours?'

"Pinocchio. "

Miriam paused and met eye to eye with the largest donkey. "Fred. " He replied almost instantly.

Frankie stepped in between Miriam and Fred. "I`m Frankie. "

Miriam looked down at Frankie. "Glad to meet you. "

The sun was covered by dark steel grey clouds , making the donkey boys lives more depressing then they actually where . Pinocchio began to wander around the barn yard gazing off into the mountains. He wished for a miracle, the miracle of seeing his father again.

Pinocchio did wish to be a boy, or even a wooden marionette that he once was, but he had a greater yearning for his father. Pinocchio could see it all in the haze of his memory. His father`s warm hugs, his kind and caring voice, and his eternal love. That entire thing comforted him in his darkest time. Pinocchio feared that his father would be angry with him since he didn`t go to school or return home.

Lampwick walked over to Miriam. "Why did you believe that we use to be boys? "

Miriam sighed and looked up to the sky. "My father was a human. He went to Pleasure Island and turned into a donkey. I presume that`s the very thing that happened to you. "

Lampwick nodded.

"It`s sad that you gave up your chance to be boys by acting like a donkey. You where selfish and hard-headed and that`s the trigger to the transformation. Although, a few months of being a donkey could do any boy some good. I think that one day you`ll learn your lesson. "

Lampwick didn`t like to be corrected by a girl, but Miriam was right.

Miriam smiled. ". It`ll be a miracle when you learn your lesson. It`s always a miracle when a bad boy turns good. Unfortunately, my father didn`t get his chance to re-gain his humanity. When my old owner passed away, my father was sold to a man so he could make a new pair of boots and I was given to this circus. ""

"Being a circus donkey is something I fear, Miriam. I`m scared of what`s gonna happen to me during training. "Lampwick brayed.

"It isn`t all bad Lampwick ..."Mriam tried to say.

"Yes it is! I want to be a boy again, you don`t have an idea of what I lost. I`ve lost so much, and a guy only lives once. My idea of making the most of life isn`t spending time as a donkey …"

Miriam frowned. "You know, life isn`t gonna hand you everything you want on a silver platter. You gotta work hard for anything pleasurable , that`s the way it is kid . "

Lampwick sighed but then shaken by a thunder clap. Glancing up he saw that the clouds were about to burst with rain. Looking a Miriam he ran back into the barn as the rain began to pelt. Standing in the doorway of the barn, he could help but think of when he was a little kid and was afraid of storms. Those days when his mother picked him up and rocked him to sleep singing softly her gentle lullaby as thunder banged. He wished he could be back to those simpler times, the time of joy.

Frankie`s eyes light up. "Miriam, do you know where the bathroom is? "

"Sure, you even got a choice. The hay in the barn or the dirt outside. "

Frankie didn`t find that funny. "No seriously. Where is the bathroom? "

Miriam looked down at Frankie. "Your standing on it kid. "

Frankie looked around. "You mean that the ground is the only bathroom?"

Fred nodded. "Where donkeys now, and donkey don`t use toilets. "

"But … but ... "Frankie stuttered. " I don`t want to go in plain sight! That`s creepy!"

"Kid, where animals now. Animals don`t wear clothes so it`s fine. "Fred reassured.

Frankie still wasn`t okay with going in plain sight, so he hide behind barrel.

Fred seemed to take his transformation to a donkey better than any of the others. He was fine with any of the things that donkey did, like second nature. Lampwick was a bit more tense with everything and was humiliated by the thought that he wasn`t wear any clothes and had to go to the bathroom in plain sight. Pinocchio was just as creped out as Frankie and refused to go to the bathroom while everyone was looking.

Finally after what seemed like hours of hunger, 6 o'clock came. The ringleader and his assiantists came in with buckets of hay, oats, and slop. They dumped it into the troughs along with re-filling the water troughs. Lampwick, Pinocchio, Fred, and Frankie where suppose to share one manger of hay and a trough of water. They ran into the complication on who was eating or drinking more than his fair share.

Pinocchio didn`t like the dry taste of the hay considering he had just days ago scrumptious chicken leg, tasty popcorn, and sweet soda. But he was too hungry to care what he had to eat.

Evening past and night came. Rain still poured down betting on the roof of the barn and lighting light up the barn like an occasional lantern. Even though Pinocchio was frighten by the lighting and booming thunder, he was comforted by the light, which he made sure nothing scary was by him.

The stars and the moon weren't visible that night. Pinocchio wished that he could look upon the Whishing Star and plea to the Blue Fairy to turn him back.

Lampwick glanced at Pinocchio who was looking up into the sky from the barn`s archway. "Come on Pinokey, we better get some shut eye. " He brayed.

Pinocchio followed his best friend and lied down on his side by Lampwick. Jiminy Cricket hopped to the two donkeys and used his jacket as a blanket. "Good Night "he yawned.

"Good Night "Pinocchio brayed back. And within a few minutes Pinocchio the little donkey was fast asleep, dreaming of the day he could be reunited with his father.


	5. Lampwicks Story

The rain poured on, and occasional lighting stricken the eternal ebony sky. In the black sky no star where out. The little donkey Pinocchio was frightened by this, because one star – the Wishing Star – was the only thing that kept his spirits high. When the Wishing Star shown bright, he felt safe and protected. Now he just felt scared and all alone.

But Pinocchio wasn`t alone, he had his best friend and official conscience, Jiminy Cricket and his other best friend, Lampwick. Still, Pinocchio didn`t exactly feel secure inside with having his best friends at his side. Luckily he was too exhausted from worrying that he fell asleep, dreaming and wishing to be human.

All the animals were asleep, snoring away in careless dreams and fantasies. All but one.

Lampwick couldn`t fall asleep, no matter how much he tried. He told Pinocchio to go to sleep, but Lampwick had too much on his mind to sleep.

Lampwick`s mind was filled to the brim with memories and hopes. And when a mind is fogged by thoughts, it is impossible to get any rest.

So much had happen over such little time. He was human and having fun one minute, the next he was a donkey and on his way to a circus. Sometimes his teacher said whenever something awful happened in the school house "What _can_ go wrong, _will _go wrong. " And nothing was truer for Lampwick.

It seemed everything in his entire life went wrong. From the days he was learning to walk right to the time of his sudden and un-wanted transformation, everything went wrong.

Some of those troubles where just minor, such as breaking his leg. But many where worse and unfixable. When Lampwick was living with his parents he looked up at the sky and sighed. "Why do bad things always happen to me? "

The worst unfixable problem was his mother`s death. At that time, everything was lost. Lampwick, though he wish he couldn`t, could remember everything of that very day.

_It was a late summer night; his mother tucked him into bed and kissed him on his fore head humming her lullaby. "Good night Romeo. I love you. I'll see you in the morning. "She said. But she never saw her boy again. She's tiptoed to the door and left it opens a crack letting some of the candle's light in. _

_Lampwick tugged his blanket up. He had insomnia. Hours seemed to click by as he tossed and turned with the soft crush of his hay mattress. His eyes stinging from the smoke of the cigars he had that afternoon and exhaustion. His legs ached from running form the cops for a mile down to the sea. It wasn`t his greatest day, possibly the worst he had in a while. Mind clouded by thoughts, Lampwick decided to doze off, but then he heard the front door open .His father was home from a drink at the bar._

"_Where have you been? "Lampwick heard his mother say._

"_At de tavern with Stepahno. Where else? "_

"_You know you don`t have to go to the tavern every minute of every day. You could at least try to get a new job or spend some time with Romeo. I`m afraid he`ll miss out of all of the father-son things that his friends get to do. And now that he`s 13 he`ll need your guidance now more than ever. You just don`t care Timo. "_

"_Sarah looking after a child is a woman`s work. I`d look stupid …"_

"_And you don`t look like a jackass already? I slave away trying to make our family work and you're not doing your fair share of it .You won`t work, you spend all your time drinking with your friends, and when you do get home your always in a hangover! What kind of example are you setting for our son? Think of someone other than yourself for a change!"_

"_Shut up!" Timo said quietly, just enough for Lampwick to hear it._

'_Excuse me? "Lampwick`s mother said._

"_I said …SHUT UP! " Timo screamed._

_And it came so fast, a scream and that was it. A blood chilling scream that haunted Lampwick in his nightmares. _

_Lampwick began to silently sob. His tears stained the pillow and his face. He never felt mooring before, even for his grandmother when she passed away six years before. His grandmother was really old and all she did was smoke on her pipe timidly and rock on her little chair .But loosing someone so close was a new experience for Lampwick. He thought back to all the wonderful things she did for him, wishing she was still alive. His father had been a terrible man, but how could he of murdered his own wife?_

_It was very early in the morning when Lampwick finally fell asleep in exhaustion of crying. He had very little time to doze off when someone yelled. "Wake up boy. "_

_Lampwick opened his eyes to see a police guard shaking Lampwick`s boney shoulder. Lampwick sat up in his bed pushing up his red hair that covered his face. "Huh?" He muttered. _

"_Where coming to take you to your legal guardians." The police guard explained. "Your mother was murdered last night and we simply cannot trust your father to take care of you. You are going to live with your Aunt and Uncle. Pack up your things and change into some clothes." _

_Lampwick yawned and leapt from his bed , trying to be brave. He put on a shirt and some brown pants with a yellow vest and green bow tie. In a wicker suitcase he put all the clothes he had. Looking at picture of him and his now dead mother made him cry. Lampwick put the picture between a pair of green pants and purple socks. _

"_I`m all packed. "He sighed wiping away his tears. Lampwick put on his brown jacket and his bowler hat as they left his house. Lampwick would never see his home again._

Lampwick, now in another body, looked out at the storm. He huffed, seeing his breath as it turned into fog.

Eyes burning with tears and heart aching with sadness, Lampwick felt more alone than he had ever been. He wasn`t alone physically, he was surrounded by friends , but deep inside he felt shunned by the world wishing for his mom to be back . Lampwick could almost feel his mom`s hand stroke his mane, which before he was a donkey it was red hair. The lullaby chimed in his head in his mother`s fluent and angelic Italian.

Lampwick gazed up to the sky. His mother said if you wished on a star your dreams came true. Now that he was 13, Lampwick didn`t believe that and discarded that as childish. But now, being a donkey and desperate, anything that could help him, he was willing to try.


	6. When Were Human

Lampwick looked out of the barn . The sun was seeping through the rain and mist of early morning . It was his first day a being a circus donkey ...

Lampwick got up and looked around at the sleeping animals . Pinocchio was still snoozing on with his conscience on top of his inhaling and exhaling chest . Lampwick nuzzled his best friend braying softly "Get up Pinoke ." Pinocchio opened his eyes and sighed yearning to be back in his dreams where he was no longer a donkey , but a real boy . "Morning already ? He brayed looking up at his best friend . "I just fell asleep ."

"I had trouble going to bed too , I had a lot on my mind . ' Lampwick brayed looking at his other friends who sleep close by .

Pinocchio sighed once more and turned his head to his chest where Jiminy was sleeping . Jiminy felt in his sleep that the donkey he was sleeping on was awake . He got up and yawned . "Morning Pinocchio . "

Pinocchio nodded as Jiminy hopped of the little donkey Pinocchio and moved out of the way so the donkey could get up . After Pinocchio got to his four legs he stretched a bit . "I`m hungry ." He stated .

Miriam was also up . "Sorry kid , we don`t get fed until six as I told you yesterday ." She brayed coming closer to the trio .

"But six o'clock will take forever !" Pinocchio complained .

"That`s the way the ringleader does it , I don`t make the rules . " She brayed . " But if I was a human being I`d change this , I`d be free ! I`m jealous of all those ladies and their dresses , I wish I could have that too !"

"When I'm human again , I`m gonna live the life to the fullest Lampwick said .

"Life ain't all about fun you know ! You have to work for anything fun ! "Jiminy said as he hopped onto little donkey Pinocchio`s back .

Pinocchio nodded . "I`ve learned my lesson Jiminy . I wanna be a real boy and help my father ! He gonna be proud of me when I come home !"He daydreamed of the minute of the rejoicing , the love , of the day he came home to his father .

The three talked about what they`d do if they where human . They all had wishes to be human , but each one of them had a different perspective of what they`d do . Miriam wanted nothing more than to walk on two leg and wear clothing . Lampwick wanted to be a boy and to have fun as a boy , but he knew that if he had too much of a good time , he would stay forever a donkey in human clothing . Pinocchio longing was nothing short to have his papa back and to be home with his pets , Figaro and Cleo .

When Fred and Frankie awoke from their sleep they joined the three on their discussion . Frankie wanted , like Pinocchio , to be home and a in the loving arms of his momma . Fred never said a word on the discussion , just throwing in some comments on the thing s the others wanted to do . He simply nodded and smiled . "Anything possible . "was all he said and he left to go and walk around in the wet yard .

Lampwick and Pinocchio joined Fred , gazing at the human world before them . It had everything they lost , maybe forever . Lampwick regretted all of his actions wishing he could make amends . But that was not possible with Aunt Maria and Uncle Fabiano gone to America . His family had all left Italy , every last aunt and uncle . They all left for a place that was called "New York " .

A little while later the ringleader came in and approached Pinocchio . He smiled wickedly "You are make lots of money .. for me!" He said curly his long mustache .

Pinocchio was frightened . That`s the same thing Stromboli had told him when he became an actor ! Pinocchio knew that this man was up to no good and started to walk away slowly . "Come here , pathetic ass !" The ringleader said pulling little Pinocchio`s ears to bring the poor little donkey closer . He then slipped a harness on the little mule and tied the rope that was attached to it to on his wrist . "Now for you , little mule" He said looking at Lampwick`s fearful eyes .

The ringleader had tied all of his little donkeys to ropes and harness they all were in his grasp . In his hand he lead four little jacks that he renacly purchased and a jenny that he bought one day at the market for practically nothing. She was a good little donkey named Miriam and he knew she would produce many little performers for him in the years to come . When these jacks reached their time , one of them would become her mate .

Maybe theses donkeys could be just as worthwhile as Ercole and Miriam with the proper training .

He brought his prized pets to the big top , where they where to begin their training . This would take 3 months to do , but today was a start .

The little donkeys , all being lead to their fate , thought back to their lives before Pleasure Island .

Frankie was a good little boy who always did his school work and chores orderly and neatly . He loved his momma and father dearly , along with his 3 little sisters . But he wanted some fun , and with his best friend Fred , they both boarded the Coach to that happy land of care free boys . At first Frankie said he wasn`t going , but temptation of a swell time won .

Fred was a street punk . He spent most of his time hanging out by the corner of a building , smoking his cigarettes , and stealing stuff . He wasn`t a bad kid , he simply had no other way to survive . His mother passed away when he was born and his father was gone . He lived his life until the age of 12 in a orphanage . His love of reading , but not schooling , had lead him to believe that there was adventure outside the orphanage walls . He skipped school and ran away to live in the peaceful forest for 2 years with other homeless kids that where much older than him - some in their twenties . When he met Frankie , the kid was a wimp , but still Fred cherished the friendship and took Frankie like a little brother . Sure Frankie`s momma nagged the boy to stay away from street rats , Frankie didn`t listen . When Pleasure Isle came around , Fred encouraged Frankie to go , but the sap was going to leave and walk away from a swell opertinty . In the end , Fred and Frankie sat on top of the coach shouting "Three Cheers for Anything ! Anything And Everything ! " and singing with glee about all of the swell thing the Island had for them .

Indeed it was swell . Everything and anything was in store . From penny arcades and circus parades to pink lemonade in several shades it was all in their reach . They burnt school books , rode the roller coaster , destroyed that model home , and ate until they nearly burst . Everything was perfect ... Pleasure Isle their new home .

Or so they thought . Frankie and Fred where drinking beer in a bar , and it smelled of cigar smoke and sweaty little boys .. It was mass chaos in the bar , ten years olds fighting like it was the Rough house . Apparently , they didn`t need a big tent and clubs to have a scrap , anytime was fight time . Frankie looked in disgust of his cigar and was about to throw it away . He was green in the face . Frankie shook his head . " Come on , come on . Be a man Frankie . "

"But I don`t wanna be a man Fred ! I wanna be a boy ! I wanna go home , I`ve had it with fun . " Frankie said . " I think this all wrong .We should be home ! "

"And what ? Live a un-exciting life ? What`s life without fun ? " Fred said shaking his head and taking a long drag of his cigar .

"Your right ...'" Frankie admitted . He pondered all of this for a moment and decided "heck with it ! let`s go and have some fun in the amusement park . " Say .. I`ll race you to the hall of mirrors !"

"You`re on ! " Fred said snuffing out his cigarette . And the two , avoiding the boys in their scrap , ran out of the bar . In the distance , as they got farther away from the bars , sounds of accidental braying could be heard .But they didn`t care . The amusement park was less crowded and clothing littered the dirt ground along with confetti , popcorn , and ice cream drippings . Still boys reigned terror and they still destroyed the island limb from limb with the model home and the games .

When Fred and Frankie got to the hall of mirrors they began to explore . They loved looking at each other`s distorted image , laughing until their sides hurt . When they rounded the corner to another section they felt their ears elongate . When Frankie reached the mirror he looked and giggled " Hey Fred! This mirror makes you look like you have donkey ears ! " When Fred came around and looked at his image , he saw two brown ears on himself and Frankie . "Oh ha ha ! Good one ! " Slowly he turned his attention away from the mirror and to his best friend . " And you go them in real life too ! "

"Well so do you !" Frankie said . Instead of being spooked by their newly transformed ears the laughed much like Lampwick and Pinocchio did when they saw their ears . But instead of their happy boys laughed , donkey brays escaped their lips . They began to panic but slowly their bodies began to change like all the others . They grew tails and their bones shifted into different positions . Frankie cried for his momma , but Fred had no one to beg and plea for help . It was all over , their humanity was stripped away in the cool September night in the house of Mirrors . The Mirrors reflected what they had become , little jackasses that work all their lives . Fred began to smash the glass with his black hooves and Frankie did the same .

They were both caught and boarded into a line with the other donkey , who where boys just minutes ago . " I just wanna go home !" They brayed . "Let me outta here ! "

"Quiet ! Shut up ! The Coachman commanded his newly transformed goldmines . " You boys had your fun ! Now pay for it !"

Frankie wept and cried for his momma and father , anyone to save him from his evil . Fred looked around . He was next to a little donkey with a Sailor suit and hat . Like Frankie the little one wept , but he spoke words instead of brays . " Please Mister Driver ! I`ll be a good boy , I promise ! Cross my heart ! Just let me out of here . Fred tried to calm Frankie and the little one down , and to his surprise he still had some capability of human speech . But just a little bit . When the little one was pulled from line by the monstrous henchman he stated his name .

"And what might your name be ?" The Coachman said over the little donkey .

"Alexander ." He said backing away awkwardly due to his new hooves .

"So you talk ?" The Coachman said acting intruded .

"Yes ... yes sir ! I wanna go home to my momma !" He said backing away , looking for a way to escape . But before he could get away the Coachman grabbed the donkey by the hind quarters and ears and tossed him in a pen saying " Take him back ! He can still talk !"

The others who could talk where crying for their mothers , but the Coachman shut them up by cracking his whip and stating the same thing that he did a few minutes earlier . "Who`s next ?" he smiled wickedly .

Fred was pulled from the line . The Coachman learned .

"Do you have a name little jackass ?" He said .

Fred , knowing what would happen if he said his name , pretended to bray . But the Coachman knew it was a hoax . " You can talk as well !" Fred was throw in the crate along with Alexander and the rest . Frankie could be heard over the other`s brays of fright . "FRED! DON`T LEAVE ME ! "

It was too late , nothing could save them . As a half an hour passed along , Fred observed donkey boys - one by one - be tested . The one by one stripped of their former human lives and clothing . And one by one thrown into crates . Fred longed to save them , but what could a donkey do ? It would take a brave soul to stop this , and Fred wasn`t brave even though he tried to be around Frankie.

Frankie was stuffed in a crate , but no other donkey went tint . After a while the Coachman came along to the still speaking donkeys with a bucket of some liquid . "All right , we can do this the easy way or the hard way . You can drink this for me and be full donkeys or I`ll have to execute you . Don`t want our little secret out ..."

They had no other choice . The might of been donkeys , but even so they didn`t want to die . The all drank up and soon brays began to escape their lips . They where donkeys . The vile Coachman smile and put each donkey in crate . By some miracle Fred was thrown into Frankie`s cage , they where together . And they were going to get through this together .

So here they where , a day later . They where circus donkeys and there was no way out of this as far as Frankie could see .

They all reached the big top , with their doomed sealed . It was training : day one of a long process . It could take months for them to learn their tricks and perfect them . When they all got in to training , the ringleader snickered and said " Welcome to hell , little donkeys . "

_Hell indeed _ Lampwick thought being lead back to the barn after hour and hours of training . It was exhausting and painful , his body was weak with whippings and performing again and again stupid tricks . They expected him to waltz and jump through hoops like he was human . And whenever he and the others ,did something wrong they where whipped with a long lasso . The places where he was whipped still pained as he walked , and he felt like he was going to collapse with fatigue .

Pinocchio felt the same . He wanted to be home with his father , he wanted to be a boy . He didn`t like this one bit!

When Pinocchio , Lampwick , Miriam , and the rest got to the barn it was nearly feeding time . But Pinocchio didn`t fell like eating , he was to tired to eat . Jiminy was on Pinocchio shoulder and during the practice the conscience was a spectator in the stands , applaud by what he was seeing .

The barn door was shut and the donkeys all walked over to where the slept last night . The all fell down to their knees and curled up to go to sleep . Jiminy wasn`t tired so he sat on top of Pinocchio`s gray fur covered body . The ringleader`s assiants came in with the dinners at six , just like the day before . They stopped by to see the exhausted little donkeys and chuckled . Placing the hay in the through was all they did and they left .

As Miriam ate her supper she turned over to Jiminy Cricket . " You don`t suppose you could wake `me up and tell them that dinner is here ?"

"Nah , " Jiminy said . "They`ll be hungry in the morning .They worn down and we should let them dream. Dreams are the only things that will keep their sprits and hopes alive."

And indeed , each little donkey boy was dreaming of the day when they`d be human again , forever .

**Thank you everyone who reviewed the last 5 chapters ! You`ve been great . The next chapter ( which is the start of the adventure for the little donkey boys ) will be out soon , but I don`t know when . **


	7. We Are Bustin Outta this Joint !

The days seemed to flash by like lighting . Days and days of training , whipping , eating hay , and yearning to be home . Little donkey Pinocchio was becoming quite the performer . He could stand on his two hind legs and walk around , waltz a bit , and he was perfecting some of the many other tricks . He enjoyed when his master rewarded him for doing good at a practice , so he tried his hardest at all the tricks . As a result , Pinocchio and Lampwick where growing into large donkeys .

Pinocchio liked Miriam. She was almost like a big sister who kept her eye out on her brothers .She had two sides though , a fun sister or a caring mom . Pinocchio viewed her more as mom .

Pinocchio had no mother so he never knew what it was like . Lampwick knew what a mom was like , soft and caring . He could , in his dreams , feel her hugs and hear gentle voice , lost forever by death . Lampwick would probably never feel love like that , as a son , for his Aunt was just an aunt . She was nothing more and she had her own son to love and adore . Lampwick also wished to have a father who would be nice to him and teach him thing that he needed to know . His own true biological father would never of done that , and thank heavens , Lampwick would never see that man again .

Fred and Frankie where like brothers ,too . They joked around and had fun with Pinocchio and Lampwick .

So living in the barn was almost like having a big family - brothers , a sister , and a mom . But they weren't human . They where animals living in a circus .

Lampwick liked his surroundings , there was always a surprise at every corner . Funny clowns , sword jugglers , acrobats that could turn themselves into contortions were just a few of the people who Lampwick saw on a day-to -day basis . Happy children , mostly boys who Lampwick knew played hooky from school , crowded the streets of the Mid-way . They feasted on popcorn , Fairy floss , peanuts and ice cream . Sweet , sweet ice cream .

Lampwick missed the taste of human food and he longed for it . Hay was okay , but nothing compared to the taste of popcorn , pasta , and pizza .

It was early October when Lampwick found the opportunity to have some human food . He was in his yard , which was a petting zoo . Little kids swarmed the pen , hugging animals and chasing them around . Lampwick didn`t like being patted , not one bit . He felt nothing more than an animal , a mere animal . It reminded him of what he lost .

Lampwick was near the fence where a little girl was eating her ice cream . Strawberry gloop smudged her face and dress . She sat on the fence, looking for the best way to attack the melting ice cream.

Lampwick got an idea . He was usually the kind of boy who lived by the moment and his plans never really where that big . Ideas simply came and he followed them . This was the most genius idea he ever had!

He started his action by walking up to the little girl . She squealed with delight that a donkey was close to her . Lampwick launched the plan and started to nuzzle the little girl . Strawberry flavor was just seconds away from being his ! "Daddy !" She called hugging Lampwick`s muzzle . "He likes me !" She giggled one more time as Lampwick stretched out his head to grab the cone . She was alarmed by this and shrieked , but the donkey was too quick . He had stolen her ice cream !

"DADDY ! THAT DONKEY TOOK MY ICE CREAM !" She screamed making a big fuss over her missing treat . Lampwick ran into the barn to avoid being caught . He finally had some real food ! But yet , he felt deep in his heart that he shouldn't of done that . Guilt soon came over him and he set the ice cream on the floor of the barn .

"You have _ice cream _ ?" Pinocchio brayed coming over to the rare food object .

"Yes . "

"How did you get it ?" Pinocchio brayed .

"I...I stole it . " Lampwick admitted shamefully .

"Lampwick you know that`s wrong . "Miriam brayed in her stern , motherly voice. " You should know better ..."

"I know Miriam . I know I know better , but temptation does strange things to a person . " Lampwick brayed lowering his head .. " It just is nobody ever bothered to teach me what was right ... It just I was a fool and never bothered to care if something was right or wrong . I thought that fun was the best way to live and work would just make it boring. That`s how I lived life and that isn`t right to be like that ."

Miriam smiled . "You see , being a donkey hose been good for you "

"It has ?" Lampwick brayed .

"Yup . If you keep it up , you`ll deserve to be a boy again . " Miriam brayed nodding . "Bad Boys who become a honest , brave , and hard working deserved a second chance ."

Lampwick worked twice as hard as a circus donkey , which pleased the ringleader . Lampwick and Pinocchio learned their tricks faster and the ringleader declared they`d be ready to perform in just week .Unbeknownst to ringleader though , Lampwick and Pinocchio only worked hard so they could prove they wanted to be boys again .

The first performance was coming up and that scarred Pinocchio . What if he messed up ? The ringleader would surely be mad and `cause the donkey boys pain and suffering . Pinocchio need to perfect ever thing .

Lampwick also had another job then learning tricks . He was suppose to give rides to little kids like a pony .A man would guild the donkey Lampwick and he would walk around the circus. With some brat saddled on him Lampwick felt humiliation . He was more than that , he was a boy ! Not a animal that gave rides !

But being a donkey who gave rides had it advantages . Lampwick could see the human world and fantasize about the day he would rejoin them and walk on two legs . They passed by the tents which had the performers performing their acts , surrounded by laughing and happy children . In ne tent , the freak show , the sigh said " A Real Live Mermaid ! Come one , Come all and see the beautiful maiden with a fish tail !" Lampwick was amazed that he still had the ability to read . He had to check it out !

On one of his walks , with a little boy on his back Lampwick was able to peer into the tent . To his disappointment , the mermaid wasn`t even real ! It was just a blond haired woman with a skirt that had fish scales sew onto it! They lied !

But soon another thing caught his attention , as he was walking , a couple of fishermen walked along the donkey and talked about their catch .

"...I saw it with me own two eyes ! " One said ."He was a good 80 or 90 feet , from the tip of his mouth to his tail! "

"No whale can be that big , even a legend like Monstro."Two of the others said.

"He was ! And trouble was he swallowed a fellow and his boat as he rose out of the surface . I got to know him , we were talking and the old man said he was looking for his son Pinocchio . Geppetto said his little boy went to school one day and never returned home . He reckoned the fellow was swindled to Pleasure Isle . So he went looking for him and then he was gone , swallowed by the whale . Gone forever and never to see Pinocchio again."

The fisher men looked down and said quietly. "Poor ,poor Geppetto . "

Lampwick knew Pinocchio was going to hate that news , but the truth had to be told . When Lampwick got back to the barn , it was supper time of the animals . "I got bad news . " He brayed .

Pinocchio , mouth full of hay , turned around and swallowed . "What is it ?"

Lampwick hoped Pinocchio wouldn`t burst into tears at this . " You father has been swallowed by Monstro the whale ."

Pinocchio gave a look of disbelief and brayed " What are you talking about ?"

Lampwick sighed and explained to the listening a waiting ears about the whale , everything was shared . Pinocchio nodded but tears where building in his eyes . He choked back emotions, trying hard to be brave. When Lampwick finished Pinocchio nodded solemnly and curled up in the corner the barn and wept . " He`s gone , gone forever !" He brayed through his tears . Lampwick ,walked over to his best friend and sat down beside him . Nuzzling him lovingly like an older brother Lampwick brayed ." It`s all right Pinocchio . I going to help you find your father , even if I had to go to the bottom of the ocean and make that whale spit him out !"

Fred sat down with Lampwick and Pinocchio . " I`m in too . We`re gonna find your dad , not matter how long it takes . "

Miriam brayed brightly . " Make that three . "

Pinocchio dried his blue eyes of his tears . Stuttering through the pain of his heart he asked " But how ? ... We`re donkeys ! .... We don`t have hands or feet ! ... And we`re little , Monstro`s huge ! How can we save my dad ?"

Jiminy patted little Pinocchio on the head . " We`ll think it through !"

Lampwick for once had true courage shone the bravado and strut . He brayed bravely like a true leader " I don`t know how Pinoke , but I defiantly know one thing for sure ... We`re bustin` outta this joint !"

The five donkeys - four of which human boys and one jenny who longed to be one - and the cricket / conscience where on a mission . A mission to save the youngest and littlest donkey`s father - the old wood carver Geppetto . They had to escape , but how ?


	8. The Cruel Side of the Circus

At last the day came around when the ringleader deemed Pinocchio and the rest as performers for his circus . Colorful posters where placed all over the village , advertising the little donkeys` fist performance . People flocked to the circus , with the buzz of excitement and talking of the donkeys . They ate popcorn , ice cream , peanuts , and plenty of Fairy floss . The crowd was restless to see the new act and the sound of their talking and shouting was almost deafening . All the while Pinocchio , Miriam , Lampwick , Fred , and little Frankie stood behind a curtain , waiting to go on .

Each adorned on their head was a blue little headdress, incrusted with fake little rubies .Atop of the little headdress was huge feather that feel into Lampwick`s eyes like his bangs did when he was a human . All of the donkeys had new bridle of shiny new leather dyed blue with silver buckles and sparklingly jems .Each of their little tails had either a red , blue , or gold bow tied by the ebony black tassel . Even though Pinocchio enjoyed all of this finery he shook with stage fright , much like he did when he was about to go on at Stromboli's theatre . Miriam nuzzled the scared little donkey affectionately and brayed " You'll be fine Pinoke . We`re gonna escape tonight . You`ll have that to look forward to !"

Lampwick blew the golden feather out of his eyes , braying softly . He walked towards Fred to go to talk but he was stopped by his lead , a leather prison . The person who held his reign , grunted a bit and muttered to the person holding Miriam " Hope these donkeys are worth it . "

"Yup . The boss promised they`d make 4 times the money as Miriam did on her opening night . If they do , we`ll be on easy street ! " The person holding Pinocchio`s lead said .

"Welcome , welcome ladies , gentlemen , and children!" A voice boomed , the voice of the ringleaders This amazing performance of Circo deli Fratelli Lorenzo will start with the amazing act of the beloved donkey , Miriam the Magnificent donkey and her newest companions , Desderio , Filippo , Pancrazio , and Ugo ! ...'" And with that the men holding the donkey boy`s leads kicked them in the hindquarters . "Who are they ?"Pinocchio whispered as he walked alongside Lampwick into the bright light of the circus . Lampwick looked around and brayed "Us ... they given us different names . "

They all reached the middle of the big top with a roaring crowd cheering . Bright lights blinded them , but they soon could see everything around . The ringleader was in one of his most splendid attire . He had long ,raven black boots that reached up to his knees and a swanky black jacket with a bit of ruffles on his white shirt . He took of his top hat introducing the new performers and placed it back on his ebony black hair-covered head . His golden earring shimmered in the bright light of the circus . "And now , without a further a due , my little donkeys will perform their great tricks ; some you will absolutely refuse to believe !"

It was just as Pinocchio practiced , his fabulous feats dazzling the crowds . They owed and awed as the donkeys waltz and dance to fine music of the company band . Lampwick basked in the exicment of the crowed and performed his tricks to perfection . The donkey jumped and kicked as the people roared with happiness .

But then came the most difficult feat , jumping through a hoop . Two clowns held the sliver ring and the ringleader held the wipe . Whipping it in thin air , with a ear piercing _**CRACK ! **_ the donkey began to leap into the hoop . Miriam lead the donkey in a procession , jumping into the hoop with ease from years of practice . They all had made it , except Fred .

Fred was the worst at jumping , he always failed to do it . The ringleader whipped him Fred`s back , the scars hidden by a thicket of brown fur . He tried to jump through the ring , but when he made it through he hit the ground , twisting his right fore hoof in a awkward position . He let out a great bray of agony , that rang in everyone`s ears . The clowns all gathered around the little donkey when the ringleader proclaimed " This ends the act of the Amazing , Spectacular , and Magnificent Donkeys!" Fred limped behind the curtain and the other followed The crowd clapped , but only a few said in their minds " I hope that donkey is okay . " The others snickered and said" The donkey ain`t gonna last through the night , he`ll die . "

The other donkeys circled around Fred and looked in fright . The veterinary surgeon in charge of the animals in the circus finally stated after a long examine . " This donkey is lame , he shall never walk properly again . "

The ringleader who went behind the stage to check on his weak donkey said fiercely "Get rid of him them . Take him to the sea and drown him , we shall use his skin to make a new drum for the circus band ."

Fred`s black eye went blank with fear , fear for his life . He shivered all over .

Through it was unspoken , the little donkey knew what they had to do ...


	9. Escape !

It was Frankie who gave the first charge . He let a spine tingling, haunting bray escape from his mouth . All of the animals heard "I won`t let you hurt Fred !", but the barn assistant only thought of it as a simple " He-haw !" Frankie catapulted his hind legs to hit the barn assistant right in the stomach , but the little donkey Frankie lost his aim and hit his master right in the groan . The barn assistant yelped in pain as Frankie brayed " Sorry ! I didn`t mean to hit there !"

Lampwick simply brayed back " It worked better ..." and he began to kick the barn help . Every other donkey went into the act , kicking and braying as loud as they could . The barn help fell under the donkey`s powerful hooves and soon he could do nothing but gasp and stutter in pain. " Quick!" Miriam cried as she lifted the big top`s tent flap just large enough for the others to get through . " Climb under here !"

The donkey boys followed the command . Fred was limping under the curtain as Miriam whispered " We gotta take it easy on Fred`s leg , so let`s walk into the forest. They`ll never find us their . " So the five donkeys and the hoping cricket , headed on their way , their way to becoming human once more .

* * *

The little donkeys` escape was unknown to the barn assistant ; they we`re in so much pain . " What are you doing , you bumbling idiot !?" The ringleader said over them . "Stop fooling around and get your pathetic bodies to do something useful!" The ringleader took two seconds to realize something was missing . " Where are those donkeys ?" The barn help gave a grunt in pain meaning " I don`t know !" The ringleader gave a glance to his bean helped , picked the man up by the shirt collar and yelled fiercely "Find `em you fool !" The barn help said " But I`m in the next act ! I`m the tiger trainer ! I can`t go look for donkeys ! "

The ringleader gave this some thought . " You`re right . Those people are looking forward to that , if we don`t do it they`ll ask for their money back ! Okay , have Edmondo fill in for me . If you want something done , you gotta do it yourself ." And with that the ringleader grabbed his musket , fully loaded , and his top hat and went out into the overcast night .

* * *

They were nearing the Italian forest . The tree rustled in the night and owls hooted their nightly chant .In the night`s pitch blackness , the wishing star was their guide to find the forest . They followed the cross roads , hooping into the bushes if they heard a cart coming . Miriam was in the lead , the donkey boys behind her . Fred limped behind her with Frankie , Lampwick , Pinocchio, and Jiminy Cricket at his side . They tried to make their hooves sound quieter , but they still clomped again the dirt road .

The circus light was in the distance, the cheering still picked up by the donkeys` sensitive hearing . But suddenly a bang interrupted the clapping and joy of the circus . A bang headed towards them ...

Miriam nearly jumped a foot in the air. " What was that ?" She whispered turning around . Lampwick`s eyes meet the wicked ringleader , with his gun in hand ." It our master " He answered. " And he has a gun ..." They all feared for their lives , but Pinocchio`s quick thinking save them . " Guys ! We can hide in the vineyard !" Fred tried to see the grape yard but he couldn`t see anything . "What do you mean Pinoke ?" Pinocchio nuzzled towards left and sure enough , there was a entire valley that had a maze of purple fruits . They walked down the hill and hide amongst the fruits and vines .

"I will find you donkeys ... " A voice said . " I will ...."

Frankie then heard a loud _**crunch !**_ . They other jumped into the air , but they soon realize what the noise was . "Lampwick ..."Miriam hissed . "This is no time for snacking on grapes !" Lampwick swallowed the grape he had in his mouth . "I`m sorry ! But I`m just so hungry when I`m scared !" The donkeys heard more gun shots ; they all shivered in fright .

Then rustling was heard ; someone was coming into the vineyard ! "Come out come out where ever you are ! " Frankie brayed quietly " We gotta get outta here ! " and so the donkey slunk out of the row of vines only to realize they had nowhere to hide .

"You can hide ... but you cannot run ..."

1


	10. Do or Die

Miriam shifted her glance from the vineyard to the stone hills. On one of them was a boarded up hole with a bunch of scribbles on it , words she never knew or read . The hole echoed with darkness and fright but she told herself " A donkey gotta do , what a donkey gotta do . " She ran to the hill and began to violently ripe away the boards . " Miriam ! " Fred brayed softly as he limped over to her . "Are you crazy ? That`s the catacombs ! They haven`t had people in them since the Romans lived in Italy ; they`re deemed un-safe ."

To Pinocchio and Miriam the writing on the boards was gust a bunch of marks ; a langue that would remain un-readable .Pinocchio squinted to try to figure out what the writing meant , but he couldn`t . Jiminy nagged " If you went to school , you`d know how to read !" Pinocchio sighed , regretting listing to Honest John . "You`re right Jiminy ..."

"Do you even know what that says ?" Lampwick said .

"I`m a donkey remember ? I don`t know how to read .And unless we get inside here , I never will . "Miriam said pawing at the wood . A few boards broke off successfully and Miriam smiled joyfully at her progress . Frankie ,who use to be a studious little boy, read aloud "DO NOT ENTER !" But learning what the scribbles meant did not stop Miriam , for she only paused her work and began to make a big enough hole for her friends to slip under . "Okay everyone ... " She said brightly using her right fore hoof to point . "Get in ."

"You seriously expect us to go in there ?"Fred said looking at the hole in the boarded up catacombs .

"Fred , "Miriam said sternly . "It`s do or die now . You can either hide in the catacombs or you can suffer an unkindly fate . Which do you choose , a few hours in a hole underground or your very life ? "

Fred didn`t get as chance to think ; he had already made his choice . Right then they heard the cackling voice of their wicked master " I know your here donkey .." Fred quickly limped under the boards and the rest of the boy-turned donkey followed . They began to take through journey to the deaths if the ancient Italian tunnels . Shining through the rotting wooden planks , the wishing star showed partly the way down .

The ringleader escaped the vineyard and go to the stone hills . Looking down he saw 5 pairs of little donkey hoof marks , all of his donkey had taken sanctuary in the catacombs . Now the ringleader was brave , he had preformed acts with the most dangerous of exotic creatures . But he would never ever go into the catacombs . There where all sorts of things down there , thing unknown . "They`re dead anyway . "He snickered as rain began to wash away the hoofmarks . "The catacombs are another world of danger . "

** I know the last few chapters have been really short , but I promise the next one will be much longer . Please review !**


	11. Underground

The donkey boys where aimlessly getting deeper and deeper underground . All of the light of the wonderful world above disappeared in cold darkness . It was so dark and dank that they could no longer see what they were going into . Pinocchio shivered in fear of the darkness surrounding him. The sounds of hooves echoed in the mysterious underground world, fading into the eternal darkness . At first Pinocchio enjoyed the clickity clack of his own hooves against the dirty stone ground of the Catacombs ,. But now he was just annoyed after 2 or so hours .

"Hey Frankie , "Miriam brayed over the sound of her own hooves ."Do you mind moving over just a tiny bit ..."

"I`m not Frankie ,"Pinocchio brayed, sounding annoyed that Miriam couldn`t recognize him.

"Whoops , sorry Pinoke . I thought you where Frankie . " Miriam brayed. Pinocchio clomped sideways only to bump into something fuzzy . "Pinocchio , do mind if you move over just a tiny wee bit?" Fred brayed.

Pinocchio tried he space out between Miriam and Fred, but he couldn`t tell if he had moved far enough .

"Okay let`s go this way ...UMPH ! Nope that is a wall .... Ahh ! A snake just slithered on me !" Lampwick brayed .

"That`s my tail Lampwick ,"Frankie brayed blankly .

"No wonder why that snake felt furry ! "Lampwick brayed , pretending to be cheery . But the darkness of the underground tunnels seemed to suck the life and brightness out of his life. Lampwick was somewhat frightened by the darkness and not seeing the world around him .But Lampwick kept on telling himself to be brave. " Now why don`t we make a turn right ... Ow ! Who put that wall there? "

"Fred ?" Frankie brayed looking out in the blackness .

"What ?" Fred answered .

"What if this place is dangerous ? I mean , I learned the Romans used booby traps in order to keep the burial place safer from grave robbers .... "

"Frankie, "Lampwick brayed , interrupting Fred`s reply " this place has absolutely _no_ traps . Besides , theses bodies are just ordinary people . Why would they ....Ahhhhhh!"

The donkeys , though it was unknown to them. took one step forward into a pit and they fell below . "Umph !" They grunted as the banged again the dirt floor . It was significantly brighter than the other part of the catacombs. Small , but noticeable holes in the dirt wall of the catacombs showed that the wall was weak and could break easily . Speckles of blue and sometimes golden light illuminated the cave of the catacombs. Outside , the donkeys sensed that the dark , overcast storm clouds had let loose and decided to unleash their infamous power of thunder , lighting , and heavy rain.

When each donkey stood up they gave sighs of relief to see the glorious light ."Told ya so !" Frankie brayed brightly with the hint of the great feeling of being right.. "This place _is _ bobby trapped ! "

"We gotta get outta here !"Pinocchio brayed with a panicky look on his face . Jiminy looked around on top of the Pinocchio`s head , looking for a way to help the donkey boys out . Pinocchio then bumped into something ... From the cracks in the wall that sent some light down he saw what it really was .... a dead skeleton of a donkey and a man with their ribs cage and spines interlinked . "Ahhh! " He screamed and ran around , looking for a way out. He banged against the dirt wall , which was weather worn from hundreds of years .Pinocchio banged down and landed in-between the hole he created and Jiminy landed in the pouring rain outside . Pinocchio grunted the slightest bit and shook off the pebbles and rubbish left from the hole.

When Lampwick saw the hole he brayed cheerfully , "Alright Pinocchio ! You found a way out !" The donkeys immediately crawled under the hole and looked out in the blinding and freezing cold rain .It raged against their skin . The rain was somewhat soothing with it cool nature as it b chilled their aching whipping scars.. "

Well who knew ? " Jiminy said , chuckling slightly. "The catacombs where build on a cliff by the sea ! " Sure enough. the blue Ligurian sea swished along the stoney hill and seafoam desloved on the rocks . The maginficentr lace on the crest waves swireled in a furious rage . Pinocchio , Lampwick , Miraim , and the rest where standing on a pathway that stood a good forty or so feet above the angry sea below .

"What`s the plan now ?"Frankie asked Fred as the stood on the pathway looking around .

"Dunno,"Fred admited ."But we just gotta find a way ."

Luckily , the clouds hadn`t covered the wishing star , for it still twinkled in the blackness like a polished diamond . Cloud surround the gem like light , and it seemed to Pinocchio that the Blue Fairy herself had cleared a way to look after the donkeys. Pinocchio then kneeled down to the ground in the middle of the storm mumbling . "Star light , star bright .. .first star I see tonight ..."

"What are you doing ,"Lampwick hissed . "There ain`t time for wishing` on stars ! ..."

Pinocchio stayed focused despite Lampwick`s comments . "I wish I may , I wish I might , have the wish I make tonight ..." And with that it seemed as the sea cove in Italy went silent ,except for the ominous thunder claps and the hurling winds . When Pinocchio rose up from the ground , everyone gave him glares . "What was that for ?" Miriam asked . She did not know such a human action .

"My father always said , If you wish on the wishing star , it`s sure to come true ..."

"What did you wish for Pinocchio ?" Frankie asked . Frankie after all was still a 8 year old child and believed in the power of wishing on stars. Fred smiled a bit , because once, a long time ago, he too had given his dearest dreams to the wishing star . He wished to be adopted , but it didn`t seem that the star had heard him.

Pinocchio shook his head . "I can`t tell . It won`t come true if I did ."'

Miriam smiled at the little boys , seeing the humans inside them . Although they had the appearance of simple donkeys , they had the minds and souls of humans . Miriam not only wished to be a human , but she wished for the donkey boys to be happy , to be back to their true forms . But alas , it couldn`t happen , it seemed impossible . But Miriam was determined to have her dream come true . She also wanted to save Pinocchio`s father so that little donkey boy could be happy once more. Pinocchio had been so depressed as a circus donkey, and now that he was so close to seeing his father again , he spirit soared like it was a bird let finally let out of it`s cage.

"Let`s go save your father . " Miriam brayed , ready to take whatever challenge was in store. The donkeys began to walk along the pathway to get to the sea . The thunder and lighting distracted them and the rain whipped against their back . But the kept looking forward , forward to their goal of saving good Geppetto .

It happened as quick as the lighting in the sky . A thunder clap . A scream . A fall . Miriam was plummeting helpless down the cliff`s side. Pinocchio and Lampwick panicked as she disappeared in the foam on the crest of the waves . Fred, Frankie , Pinocchio , and Lampwick all knew at that very instant what they had to do . They had to save a friend.

When Miriam hit the water , she became a part of another world. A world she had never experienced . Miriam had never been fully emerged in water , let alone the sea . When she was working for a farmer along with her father , she would carry carts to a village by the sea , but that was all . In the world below , strange creatures surrounded her . They had tails , like her`s , but these tails where different .These tails where shiny and had a glitter nature to them and swished as they glided ever so graceful in the chilling waster. They swam around this odd object ,pecking out it to see if it was food. Miriam realized she couldn`t breathe in water .She swallowed sea water in attempts to extract air from the water , but the salt gagged her and made her sick to her stomach. Her longs burned for air as the salty water blinded her eyes .

With her stinging eyes , she peered around . But she could not see anything for the storm clouds had darkened the sea . She closed her eyes fearing the worst . But something that she couldn`t describe , something powerful , over took her . She felt warmth in her hooves and face , the feeling spread through her entire body . Miriam didn`t feel ,through , the urge to breathe . It wasn`t that she could gulp down air in the water , but she felt as though her lungs where full and content . She heard the twinkling of soft , angelic chimes . Miriam also felt as though someone was elongating her hooves and spread them apart in separate pieces. But that didn`t not pain her , in fact she felt an she felt more of a tickling sensation then anything.

When the feeling left her , her chest felt as through all oxygen had been squeezed out . The darkness of the sea blacked and Miriam could no longer see the fish swimming around her. She was going to drown , going to die . She almost let the effort to try to float to the surface go away and let her body sink to the fathoms below . That would be the case , if someone hadn`t grabbed he and brought her to the sought after surface. Miriam took a deep breath , looking at her savoir as she gasped for air .Her salty eyes made it nearly impossible to see and everything was blurry , but she could clearly tell the person who had saved her was a human teenager . But the world faded in nothing but dark ebony and she passed out from lack of oxygen .


	12. A Dream Come True

When Miriam awoke , the sun was setting it`s glorious rays on the swishing and calm sea . The morning breeze smelled of fresh rain and the gentle hint of salt. Miriam's legs felt the calming and refreshing sense of the waves lapping over them. She sighed a sigh of content and peace.

She then saw before her four boys of different ages . The oldest looking might of been 15 or 14 and had messy and uncombed brown hair . The middle one had gingery hair that fell into his staggering deep brown eyes , freckles strayed over his checks . And one of the youngest was small and cheerful looking with neatly styled , parted in the middle , dish water blond hair and green smiling eyes .But the last one was the most interesting.

He had a body completely made of fine sandy pine wood . Bolts held his limbs together ; he was a living puppet ! Miriam had seen puppet shows that performers put on for little children from her pen and she knew what one looked like. His nose was extremely long Although he was made entirely out of wood , he had several distinct human features. He had a head of real ebony black hair that swayed in the cool salty wind . And his eyes , what marvelous eyes ! Two blues eyes so radiant that they looked like shimmery sapphires and seemed to be painted with the finest paint . A tiny little bug , no doubt it was Jiminy Cricket , sat upon the puppet boy`s shoulder.

"She`s alright guys ; she waking up . "The red head said ,smiling slightly , showing off his overbite.

"When we got to shore , you weren't responding ... and we thought ..."The little one said , but couldn`t finish .

"We thought you were dead . " The oldest continued the little one`s broken up sentence .

The wooden boy said "I just glad that you`re okay."

Miriam then shifted her glance from the boys to her body . Looking back at her where two white human legs . She lifted her arms and flexed her hands, squealing in delight . By some miracle , she was fully clothed in a red fabric dress .She was a human being .

"I never thought ..." She said and gasped ,covering her moth with her hands ."I never thought that I could speak ! I never thought that my dearest wish... could come true ! How did ...?"

The red head smiled and said " We saved you . We risked our own lives to help a friend . When we jumped in the water all the donkey parts washed away . "

Miriam jumped up in excitement , wobbling to get to her feet. . It was strange to stand on two legs. When she was a donkey , she only did it for a trick to amuse people , but she never did it anytime else . Now there was no choice on what way she could use to get around . She walked trying to stay steady by the help of rocks . On her left was a calm and steady tide pool , the only reflective surface on the beach.

When Miriam looked in the cool calm water she saw not a donkey , but a real human woman . The woman staring back a Miriam had a nicely shaped face , deep fascinating brown eyes that resembled little chocolates , and a head of nice wavy yellowy blonde hair. Miriam looked young , about eighteen or nineteen . Her heart leaped with joy.

She turned around to face the boys . " Wow, "She breathed almost speechless . "This is incredible ... wow... I can`t believe it ...."

"It`s all true Miriam ,"Jiminy said nodding.

After a few minutes more of looking in her reflection and stuttering in amazement she said "Forgive me , but now I have to learn who you are ...."She pointed to the red head . "I`m Lampwick , "He said smiling. Fred and Frankie introduced themselves as humans . Pinocchio was the little puppet boy . Miriam was pleased to see what her friends truly looked like . But they were not what she imagined them . She had different images of donkey boys in her head .

Then another thought came to her head other than being human. She thought of poor Geppetto still in that whale.

" "He`s still out there , isn`t he ? " Miriam asked looking out to sea with Pinocchio.

"Yes, "Pinocchio said and his face fell to the white sandy beach .The thought of his father being stuck inside that monster made him want to cry. "I`m just worried that he ... he "Pinocchio voice broke " He didn`t make it . " Pinocchio then unleashed his held back tears and began to sob . "Now ... now that we`re human , at least you guys are .... how are we gonna save my father ?"

Miriam couldn`t respond and bit her lip . "Pinocchio , "She sighed " If there is anything I have learned in the past few days , anything can happen . Now I believe that we can save your father , I must admit I had some doubt at first . I am not afraid of what could happen , though I know there is many things to be afraid of . And now , Pinocchio , we are gonna save your father . "

Pinocchio sniffed and looked up . Miriam was right , he just had to put his faith in it and anything could happen. " Okay, "He sighed . Miriam smiled to Pinocchio and hugged him , and action that she was prevent from doing when she was a donkey. Bravely , the walking and talking marionette said "Let`s go save my father !"

Jiminy , Lampwick , Pinocchio , Fred , Frankie , and Miriam all sat in a circle on a patch of sand . "I know this place !" Frankie said looking around . "My father and use to sail by here . My cousins and I would race to the shore ..."

"Good ,"Lampwick said nodding . Impatiently he asked " How far are we away from town ?"

"About a day`s walk . "Frankie said .

Lampwick`s jaw dropped . "A _day _? That gonna take forever !"

"There are towns on the road . But we need to get to town so we can talk to my Uncle Ned ...."

"How is your Uncle Ned gonna help us ? " Fred asked .

"My Uncle Ned is a caption of a ship , and he so happens to own the largest collection of Monstro sighting this side of the Mediterranean . He could tell us the coordinates to where Monstro is spotted the most . With my papa`s teachings of how to be a sailor ,we find the place in no time . "

Lampwick had to admire Frankie optimism. Lampwick`s first impression of Frankie was an innocent little crybaby of a boy , but now a new creature shown through . A brave and heroic Frankie had taken place of the sap that Lampwick had once know . Lampwick did not know how Frankie knew all of this nautical stuff , but it would certainly help them.

And so , the boys and the donkey-turned human began the long walk to their home town . It would be long and exhausting , but they all wanted to help Pinocchio`s father . They were on a quest.

* * *

Meanwhile , out in to the sea , , Monstro slept in the fathoms below , sending bubbles up towards the surface . Inside the huge beast though , an old wood carver was wide awake . Beside him was his little faithful cat , Figaro and in a fish bowl was the fish ,Cleo . The three-some sat inside the whale , on their broken down boat that was mainly scrap wood . Below them was extra sea water and whale saliva . The old man opened his cupboard , and as usually, it was nearly stripped to the bone . Nothing but some crusty ,dry bread and old fish soup remained inside . About three months before , the great monster had swallowed a small cargo ship that had food on it. Nobody was on the ship so Geppetto took the food and stashed it in his boat.

The fruit only lasted a while before it spoiled . Geppetto made haste with the vegetables by cooking them in a stew with some of the salted meat . Fresh water in barrels where certainly plentiful on the ship, he had 3 extra at the time as well. But now he was getting to the last of his rations...

"Oh Figaro , it`s been three long month since the whale opened its mouth last . I don`t know if we`ll have enough food to last us the next few days . It could be just as bad as it was last time ...." Geppetto sighed and grabbed some of the bread and broke it up into three pieces ; one he feed to the cat , one he saved for himself , and the last one he broke up in small chunks for Cleo . "My poor little Pinocchio ... he was so young ... I wonder where he is right now . "

* * *

Unbeknownst to Geppetto though , his little boy was on a mission to rescue him . It was nearly sun down and the chilly breeze made Lampwick wish for a warmer shirt . He wished to be in warm and loving arms again . Loved seem so long ago .

"Are we there yet Frankie ?" Lampwick complained .

"We`re not gonna be there if you keep on going on like that. "Frankie said, leading the way .

"Can`t we just take a little break ?," Fred asked and leaned up against the tree and sighed in exhaustion .

"Look ,"Frankie pointed out to a sign on the side of the dirt road . "This is Ranzo , it`s only a 2 hour walk from our village . But if you guys wanna sleep here , we`ll just hafta step it up in the morning ."

The entire group moved to the side of the road and sighed, falling to their feet . Fred luckily found a pump where villager where suppose to get there water and everyone sat under it , and the group was soaking up as much water as their mouths allowed . Even Jiminy was extremely thirsty and drank a thimbleful . Fred also found in the forest some olive trees and berry bushes . Everyone pick to their heart and stomach`s desire .

"You know what?"Fred said , stuffing olives into his mouth.

"What ?"Miriam asked . She liked the taste of berries , for they where sweet to her tongue. She was glad she could have more to eat than just hay.

"I was actually going to try to like being a donkey . I thought that if we were stuck that way , I might as well excepting being. I mean , if I was one in sprit and that made me become one , I just have to admit that was my true form ."

"But where not donkeys anymore, "Pinocchio cheered , black berry syrup smeared all over his little wooden face.

"Oh Pinocchio ,"Miriam sighed seeing the boy . "You got juice all over you ... Here I`ll clean it up. " Miriam , doing what she saw human mothers do to their children , wiped Pinocchio`s little sticky face with her dress. "There..."She sighed when she finished. Pinocchio shout his glowing gem eyes up to her and smiled . "Let`s get some rest." She dreamily said scooting towards the tree.

The group slinked down onto the forest floor for some well desired rest . It was a rather cold night , but they found a villager`s laundry on the line and borrowed a few of the drying quilts to use . For pillows , they rested their heads against the forest`s soft moss. In the light of the moon and stars and beneath the strong and tall oak trees, Miriam held the little boy Pinocchio close to her, singing softly:

"_Star, little star __  
__The night is approaching:__  
__the flame is tottering,__  
__The cow is in the cowshed.__  
__The sheep and the lamb,__  
__the cow with the calf.__  
__The hen with its chicks.__  
__The cat with its kittens;__  
__and all are sleeping In the mother's heart..."_

It was a lullaby she heard a long time ago in the time she lived as a farmer`s donkey . In fact her father had sang that to her when she was a little foul , scared of lighting. Her father had told her that his mother sang that to him when he was scarred. The memory of the song lingered in her mind .Pinocchio seemed comforted by this and snuggled up again Miriam`s chest , like a child wanting his mother. Miriam was quite a young donkey when she was brought to the farm by her owner. She hadn`t had a foul in her life. But she still had those motherly instincts that any jenny was implanted with. Having Pinocchio sleeping soundly on her breast felt so right , like she was meant to be like that.

Pinocchio yawed , closing his deep blue eyes ready for sleep.

All the while Miriam was humming and singing her chant , Lampwick mind clouded with memories. He could see it all . A child sitting in his mother`s warm lap as she sang her lullaby . This child had red hair , and his mother shimmering and enchanting brown eyes . Lighting boomed outside as the rain slithered on the window, leaving a trail of mist. Lampwick in the haze of remembrance , could almost hear his momma`s voice. A voice so comforting that he often called upon in his darkest times. She was the one how Lampwick cried for as his bones shifted in that of a donkeys . She was always the angel in his dream , with a crown of flowers on her brown locks. She was the one he loved the most and would never let her image slip away from his mind.

Lampwick began to tear up , sobbing slightly as he tasted the salt from his tears. His tears of longing. Miriam realized this , but could not tell why the boy was crying . She stopped immediately and fell asleep. Lampwick did the same , with his mother`s lullaby haunting him in his dreams .

**So this ends chapter 12 . I hope you liked it. To be honest , I wasn`t actually going to have Miriam turn human when I came up with ideas for this . She and Fred were gonna stay donkeys and live at the circus .Miriam , when I was planning this , didn`t dream of the human world and liked being a donkey. But I nixed that idea and said "I like if she would want to be a part of the human world ." Anyways, please review if you like !**


	13. Human Stuff

**This is a short chapter . I was going to have this combined with the next chapter , but I wanted a chapter just focusing on Miriam . She is , after all , going through a transition from a world she always know to a world she always dreamt about.**

It was early morning and Lampwick was just waking up. The birds chirped amongst the shady branches with the lustrous leaves .His back ached from leaning on the tree and he was freezing . The December winds chilled his arms and he wrapped the quilt that he borrowed from the cloth line around himself. His face was still salty and red from crying in the night. Lampwick turned his glance from the forest to the little puppet boy and woman that slat soundly beside him. He smiled a bit, happy for them .

Lampwick`s momma was always his guardian angel in his dreams. He felt that she always kept a close watch on him , even when he was a donkey. Lampwick knew he had someone in heaven looking after him , and with that he felt somewhat brave and fears despite all he had been through .

It was calm and quite relaxing sitting in the forest with only the soft sound of heavy breathing through careless dreams and the joyful singing of birds. Lampwick took in a piney whiff of air and sunk lower to the forest floor . The he noticed the quilt next to him was nothing but a lump . Fred snoozed on , but Frankie was missing !

But several seconds later , the little boy appeared , carrying an armful of juicy , succulent raspberries . And by the looks of it , Frankie had helped himself to quite a few himself . "Hi ya !" He whispered just loudly enough to make sleeping Miriam stir .

"Hello, "Lampwick answered back as Frankie sat down beside his friend under the mighty oak . "Want some ?" Frankie asked , showing Lampwick with pride , his load of scrumptious berries .

"Thank you , "Lampwick said nodding.

After a while Miriam , Pinocchio, Fred , and Jiminy all woke up and ate their fill of breakfast . The group got to their feet , folded up the quilts they borrowed , returned them to the drying line , and began their journey. Now they had enough energy to walk without stopping many times to rest . The two hours on the road passed like lighting . Finally , they where home. Or at least Pinocchio , Lampwick , Fred and Frankie where.

The town was strange and new to Miriam , who excitedly looked around with an ear to ear grin . She pointed to nearly everything as if to ask "What is that ?" Lampwick and Fred answered back by saying what everything was . Miriam was fascinated by all of this human stuff , things she had never seen or heard about when she was a donkey. Although she had some knowledge of the human word, many things where unheard of . Everything was beyond her wildest dreams . In the haze of pure fantasy , she became lost . Pinocchio , Lampwick and the rest were gone.

Miriam panicked for a moment , but stayed calm , cool , and collected . She then decided to look for her comrades . At least until she saw in the gazebo couples dancing gracefully about . She watched as a spectator until she felt a tap on her shoulder . "Would you like to dance ?"A charm man , about the age of 20 asked Miriam . He had soft mossy brown hair and glowing blue eyes, deeper blue than any cornflower ."Sure ," she said and grabbed onto his strong firm hand.

So they then joined in the flock of couples and waltzed around accompanied to the finest of music , far lovelier than anything Miriam had heard in her entire life . Hand in hand with the kind gentle men , she danced the best she could. It was just like when she performed as a donkey , only she now had feet . She danced far more graceful than anyone else. Though she was barefoot and wore only a simple red dress , she was the fairest maiden in the crowd . Her luscious locks seemed to be made of pure golden sunshine as the December sun shone through the window of the gazebo . Her beauty became more and more evident

After a while , she grew tired and decided to go searching for her friends.

"Signora !" A kind old fruit seller called . Miriam turned around to meet eye to eye with the man . "Would you care for an apple ?" Miriam smiled and said back "Why thank you !"

Apples where always a treat when she was a donkey and it was one of her favorite foods. She was about to bite in the red rose apple when she saw a weak donkey standing beside her as it waited to return on the trail and finish the deliveries . Miriam knew how the animal felt . She was always hungry on a long trip . "Here you go , "Miriam said gently , holding up the apples in her hands . When the donkey realized that Miriam wasn`t joking , he devoured the apple , eyes full of delight . After he finished he bucked and brayed as if to thank her . "You`re welcome , "Miriam said and patted the donkeys head , before begin her search again .

"Oh there you are!" She heard in the crowd . It was Fred and behind him stood the rest of the gang . "We were worried . "

"I`m sorry , "Miriam said rejoining them . "I sort of got lost in the moment . I`ll stay focused ."

"We found Uncle Ned place ."Frankie said . "We`ll better get going . " And so they began to walk up the crocked narrow streets of the village . They where one step closer to finding Geppetto.


	14. Uncle Ned

**After I got over a SEVERE case of writers block , I finally finished this . (sigh) I hope you like it. (P.S for those who read **_**A New Me**_** , see if you can spot the reference to chapter 2 ! ;D )**

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They soon approached a small little house. It stood out from the others . No laundry was hanging out from the balcony . No candle was in the lamp post . It was a completely naked home with a simple white wash coating that was nearly flaking out . The only thing on the house was simple doorknocker made of unpolished copper. Frankie ( who had to stand on his tippy toes to reach it) knocked on it three times.

The weak wooden door creaked open . A man , only about the age of forty five , stood before them. He looked many years older though . He had thin wispy silver hair atop of his head , and the cresses of his face where very deep. As soon as he saw his little nephew standing before him , he swung the door opened and picked up the little boy. "Oh Frankie !" The man cried . "Is it really you ?"

Frankie hugged tighter onto his uncle "It really is ...."and then the boy hugged closer .

"We were so worried about you ! Your papa and mother sent up searches for you and Cousin Alexander.... I went grey worrying that something terrible happened !... Oh I`m just so glad your home ! Let`s go to your home..."

"No," Frankie said abruptly , and that startled Uncle Ned. "I mean home sounds swell right now . but I promised a friend I`d help him. " Uncle Ned moved his glance from his little nephew to the for-some behind him . " Uncle Ned ... these are my friend Pinocchio , Fred, Lampwick , and Miriam . Pinocchio`s father was swallowed by a whale ... Monstro exactly ." At Monstro , Uncle Ned`s eyes leaped in surprise." I vowed I was gonna help him, but we need your help."

Uncle Ned didn`t need a moment to think about it . "I understand where your coming from. Your just like your father , Frankie. More ways than one. Why don`t you and your friend come in and have some tea while we discuss this matter."

"That would be swell!" Lampwick said , for the berries form the forest didn`t contain his hungry.

Uncle Ned`s house was full of oddities from distant lands. Persian rugs , Arabian spices in Jars , Chinese silk pillows on his overstuffed chairs. A warm fire was in the stone hearth invited them in from the cold December day . It had a simmering copper kettle on top it . "Well then , I`ll make tea why you get yourselves comfortable" He said gesturing to the seats .

Pinocchio leapt up on one and sunk right in. Jiminy , seeing this , chuckled slightly and took a seat on a pushpin pillow on the table next to Pinocchio. The rest had a hard time finding a way to get comfortable in the chairs. Miriam especially had a tough time for she had never had sat in a chair before , let alone a fluffy one . Bt she soon found a way and patiently awaited the tea.

Uncle Ned soon arrived with a plate full of cannolies , pasticiottos , and almond biscotties . Just the sight of it made Lampwick droll with hungry . But he reframed from grabbing it all and stuffing it in his mouth .

"Now then ," Uncle Ned said , plopping into his chair with ease . He saw Lampwick`s wild with hungry eyes and said . "Go ahead ...."

Lampwick grabbed one of everything , . Uncle Ned said " Well , you're looking for Monstro , eh?" Pinocchio nodded .

"Well I must say , a 100 ton whale isn`t hard to find . But he awfully rare to see. I doubt that you`ll find him today. "At this Pinocchio looked down and sighed . "But I do happen to have a collection where he is found most often. "

The tea kettle made a whistling sound. Uncle Ned jumped out of the chair in order to serve his nephew and guest . He poured six delicate Chinese cups made of fine porch lien. Each little cup had picture of exotic animals that Lampwick had never seen nor heard of in find ocean blue paint. Uncle Ned gave each person a cup ,( which was so hot that Miriam almost dropped her`s). Pinocchio took along sip of the sweet tea as it warmed his insides .

"My question Frankie," Uncle Ned said , plopping down into his chair again ." Is where have you been for the past three months."

Frankie nearly choked on his tea , and some of it squirted from his mouth onto his white cloth shirt."Err..."He began as he set his cup down on a pile of old history books. "It`s a long story and it`s kinda hard to explain."

Frankie, Pinocchio, Lampwick , Fred and Miriam retold their epic story of the joy of Pleasure Island ( and Frankie apologized for being so bad ) , the horror of the curse that came to all who basked in the fun , and the truth about working for a circus. They acted out certain parts , such as the transformation of the boys .

"...And then when we got outta the catacombs , it was storming ...." Frankie said , gesturing his hands to look like waves.

".... Then I fell into the water and they saved me..."Miriam interjected .

"...Then we where humans!..." Pinocchio cheered , raising his wooden arms as if he was whooping with joy.

"...Frankie told us that you could help us tell us where to find Monstro. We would of been earlier, if Miriam hadn`t gotten lost... "Lampwick said , partially glaring at Miriam ,who sunk lower and grew pink in the ears and face with embarrassment .

"...But we found her and here we are!" Frankie said delightfully , sweeping his messy brown bangs out of his eyes as he finished the sentence .

Uncle Ned nodded , soaking in all of the unbelievable story before him . "Are you trying to tell me that there is a carnival on the sea that turns bad boys into donkeys?"

All five nodded.

"Alex is still in donkey form isn`t he?"

Frankie sadly nodded yes."After I save Mr. Geppetto , I try to help find Alexander and return him to Aunt Maria . Maybe we`ll help all the donkey boys..."

"Well, I think it is very noble of you to help Pinocchio. "Uncle Ned said as Frankie finished ."But Frankie you should be home . And that goes for all of you . You all have families that love and care about you..."

Lampwick shook his head and said quiet coldly " I don`t . Neither does Fred or Miriam . Pinocchio and the rest are _my _ family right now. I love them like my own flesh and blood, as if they were really my siblings . I just want Pinocchio to be happy , and if going` to the bottom of the sea to rescue his pop is what gonna make him cheerful again , so be it. We need Frankie to help us , if we don`t have him , we`d be lost. "

Uncle Ned was shocked that such deep words where comin` from a delinquent like Lampwick . "Alright, I`m allowing Frankie to join you . But Frankie , you`re only leaving your family in more depression and grieving. But how long can your mother go on with such a broken heart? She cries for you every night , and she waits for you , looking out the window to see you come home. But if this is what you wanna do , go ahead. "

Frankie eyes light up like those of a carnival and he gave a small utterance that could of been heard as a "Yes!" . Frankie then ran up to his uncle and gave him a bear hug , a token of his appreciation.

"Now ,you are gonna need a boat.," Uncle Ned said , prying the little boy from his side" A have a nice dory you could borrow and I`ll supply everything Frankie need to navigate you to Monstro and your father Pinocchio." Uncle Ned said placing one hand on Pinocchio`s wooden shoulder.

Uncle Ned gathered everything and placed it in burlap sack and lead the procession of the boys and the woman that use to be donkeys down through the town .Mid afternoon had come , and the sun was shining high in the sky. They passed village who stayed focused on their day to day lives . It was unknown to the towns folk that the woman and boys that passed by them where once simple donkey that once had worked for a circus. Uncle Ned had lead the boys to the beach , small and sandy and littered with driftwood . "What here a minute ."Uncle Ned said holding up his right hand like a police man directing cart traffic in the streets.

Lampwick looked around and found a sail and some spare rope. "I wonder what you could do with this ?"He asked himself , tying the sail around himself like a toga.

"You look ridiculous ."Jiminy said blankly as he stared at the kid with the sail toga.

"Well in the event that I wash up on a beach , with no clothes on , a sail might come in pretty handy."He said as he examined himself in the toga.

Jiminy rolled his eyes."Like that would happen."He added disdainfully. Lampwick immediately tore off the sail and rolled it up and placed it in his pocket.

Uncle Ned came back, dragging along a dory made of strong birch wood and was built so that all 5 people( plus a cricket) could fit all comfortable ."Well here you go . " He said presenting the boat and the pair of oars that came with it . He then walked over to Frankie and whispered into his ear . Nobody could make out what the man was saying to the child. But still Frankie nodded in complete understanding ."I understand Uncle Ned .I`ll take `em there , safe and sound. "

"And Frankie, "Uncle Ned said loudly enough so that everyone eon the beach heard. "Your father will be proud. Here ," He said pulling a cap from the bag. " It`s my sailor cap. I wore it when I was your age. Do you remember cousin Alexander? He had one just like it. Whenever you are on the waves , remember me and Alex and all of your family here on land . We'll be waiting for your safe return ."

Frankie took the hat and placed it on his dishwater blonde hair. "I will ." And with that , Frankie gave his uncle a final hug .

Frankie then saw that his friend had already boarded the boat, ready for adventure. He grabbed his burlap bag with one hand and began to push the boat through the overlapping waves and sea foam . Soon they were far out enough so the boat could float on its self. Frankie gave one artful leap and plopped next to Fred . He looked back at waving Uncle Ned who was clearly saying "Goodbye and good luck!"

And so the now turned human donkey boys and Miriam ( plus Pinocchio`s conscience ) we`re on their journey on the endless sea to rescue poor Geppetto in the belly of the whale.

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**Well this end chapter 14 . If you haven't realized Alexander and Frankie are cousins . ( The reason I haven't mention that in earlier chapter is because the time I mentioned Alex , it was from Fred`s point of view) **


	15. Monstro!

Soon, they dory had gone far out to sea. When he looked behind himself , Lampwick saw that the land of Italy that was his home was almost gone. It was nearly dusk and everyone was tired to the bone from rowing. The sky was light up with golden orange sunlight that was barely under the horizon ; the clouds were at their fluffiest and painted with bright pink and soft purplish coloring. Indeed , it was a sight to behold , with the sun shining it`s gold rays over the blue and white ocean . But Pinocchio wasn`t interested in pretty sights . He and his friend has their focus eternally on finding Geppetto.

The Ligurian sea gently rocked the boat as if it were a cradle . It made Lampwick feel sleepy and even more tired. His eyes where stinging with sea spray that often swished over the side of the boat . The only sounds that where heard was the occasionally yelling of "Father !" from Pinocchio as he rowed and the chirping and squawking of seagulls in the golden sky above.

"Well," Frankie said after many hours of rowing. "This is it."And with that he motioned to the sea.

"Well what do we do now ?" Miriam asked.

"We wait."Frankie said. "He can't last forever in the bottom of the ocean . He hasta come up for air some time."

So that is what they did. The waited and waited on the open ocean , the rocking of the boat making them all almost fall asleep. It was nearly nightfall when something ominous happened.

The sea steadily grew rough , the waves that where once gentle roaring over the side of the boat, making everyone wet from head to toe. "What was that?" Pinocchio asked turning in every which way as he leaned over the boat to see what had shaken the boat some greatly. An inky black cloud was below them , darkening the blue sea, and it was in the shape of a giant sperm whale!

Miriam gave out a tiny cry of fright , for she had never seen such large animal . Slowly the entire group turned around , only to meet face to face with the teeth of the great beast ! It was rushing up towards them . There in person was the great monster they were looking for , Monstro the whale . Sea spray splashed and soaked them .

"Oh swell!" Lampwick cried out.

"Sakes alive!"Jiminy said.

And in one effortless gulp , the giant whale had swallowed the dory. People and all...


	16. In the Belly of the Whale

In a violent storm of small waves , driftwood, and seaweed , Pinocchio had landed on the tongue of the whale. Everyone was lying down flat on their backs in the shock of what the dickens just happened, they all moaned and groaned at the waves overlapped each and every person."Jiminy..."He breathed getting up after the waves had shot down the throat of the whale."Jiminy are you alright?"

"Sure ,"The cricket said , standing on a shell that the whale had swallowed. He grabbed onto his top hat and another violent splash of water shot down on his head. "I`m fine . Is everyone else okay?"

Lampwick got to his knees. "Well, I`ve been a donkey for three month , forced to learn horrendous tricks , then only to escape in the catacombs with a mad man chasing after me and my friends. Then I go out looking for my best friend`s father only to be swallowed by a beast. Other than those minor details , I`m swell. " The remark made Fred and Frankie chuckle , but Jiminy only rolled his eyes. When Miriam got to her feet , she pried long think strands from her blonde hair and dress .

"Well we better get looking ." Pinocchio said picking up his consicne and placing the bug on his shoulder.

"Are you sure this is the right whale?" Lampwick asked as the other got to their feet and looked around at the teeth of Monstro`s mouth .

"Pretty sure..."Fred said , trying to get the hang on standing on a squishy whale tongue.

Lampwick followed the rest`s action by getting to his feet. The feeling of squishy tongue was horrible between each toe on his bare feet. He winched at the thought of it. He was standing in a puddle of mixture of whale saliva and dead fish."Eww.."He squealed as he walked with the sound of _squish squash!_ "This is wrong on so many levels."

The others gave Lampwick a glance meaning for him to shut up. But he ignored it , focusing on not trying to trip. When they reached the back of the mouth, towards the throat, they all looked at each other and Miriam asked, "Well where do we go from here?"

"Down..."Fred said glumly ."Down his throat ...."

So Pinocchio once again sat down right before the whale`s bottomless hole that was the passage to his stomach . He said for the others to follow his actions. Pinocchio then pushed off through the hole . He was sliding down the throat of a whale ! Like it was a slide in a park , he and the others where slipped along by the excess water on the throat. With a splash , they all had landed in a lake of water from the whale`s gorging on tuna . Pinocchio floated to the top , but it was only about waist deep for him. He tried to regain his balance in the water and he finally succeeded . it was almost pitch black and he couldn`t see very well . Like the catacombs, he was in a hopeless mess of darkness.

"Father!" He cried.

"Oh he just around the corner . "Lampwick added sarcastically.

"He might be..."Jiminy said .

They walked on and on in the darkness and though they didn`t know it , they were closer to Geppetto then they thought.

Geppetto sat on the wooden bench of his boat as it gentle swayed. His candles where now few in number . it wouldn`t be long until he and his pets, Figaro the cat and Cleo the goldfish , where in totally darkness. To conserve the sacred candles , he only light one at a time. In the dim light and as he heated up the fish stew , Geppetto worked on a project.

When he had real wood where he was living outside the whale , he made the most magnificent puppets and wooden objects imagined. His shop was full to the brim with coko-coko , wooden dollhouse that where very detailed, wooden puppets that the was revered for the craftsmanship on them. One very special creation though , a little puppet boy who wore German lederhosen and a Tyrolean cap with a red feather , was the favorite of Geppetto. He had put his heart in picking the right pine wood , his patentee to create the fine marionette , and his soul in painting those fine sapphire blue eyes of creature. Then Geppetto named the puppet _Pinocchio _meaning Little Pine One and the man thought that name would be lucky for the owner of the puppet. Later that night , the kindly old woodcarver wished he could have a son of his own . And then **poof! **a lovely fairy granted his wish ! Pinocchio was a living boy! Or a least, a walking and talking puppet. Now , Geppetto refined his work by making puppet creatures out of driftwood that floated alongside the boat.

He had created a likeness of Pinocchio with drift wood . Geppetto used black muscles on his boat for eyes and rags from his ship`s sail to make clothing for the puppet. For the strings , he grabbed some seaweed and made it like string by drying it . Now the kindly old man was testing out his new creation . In a melancholy tone he sang half heartedly :

_"Little wooden head go play your part..._

_Bring a little joy to every heart..._

_Little do you know and yet it`s true..._

_That I mighty proud of you..."_

At the last line, tears began to build up in Geppetto`s eyes. He was never going to see his little boy Pinocchio ever again if it went on like this. "Oh it`s hopeless Figaro" he confided in his purring sadly cat. The cat tried to cheer up Geppetto by nuzzling him , asking for a rub down.

"Father!" A voice went . Amazingly , it sounded exactly like Pinocchio!

Figaro`s ears perked up and he meowed around in the near blackness . Geppetto didn`t notice this and went on in self-pity."Look at me ! I`m hearing voices !"

" Father!" It went again.

"If only it were true ..."Geppetto added, setting down his little likeness puppet.

"Father!" It went one last time.

And then , clear as day, Pinocchio was walking in waist deep water towards the ship! It really truly was his son. Figaro nearly jumped off the boat in shock and Cleo did back flips in her bowl ."Pinocchio !" Geppetto cried looking down into the water.

"Father!" His son replied back . "I`m so happy to find you!"


	17. Reunion

Pinocchio ran towards his father`s boat , crying his name all the way. Lampwick and the rest followed the puppet boy`s actions . "Hold on their son!" Geppetto called from above on the boat as he grabbed a rope from the Emergency supply kit . Pinocchio then grabbed the rope that fell down the side as Geppetto pulled his little boy from the murky ,inky black water of the whale's vast stomach . "Oh Pinocchio! My son!" Geppetto cried wrapping his wet son in his warm arms ."Oh you went through so much trouble to find me! But I`m happy to see you again!"

"Me too father!" Pinocchio said , on the verge of happy tears. He closed his eyes in pure , happy bliss. Three months ago he thought this day was never going to come . He thought he was gonna stay a circus donkey for the rest of his life. But now, in the belly of Monstro , he was embracing his father with all his might. Geppetto had yearned for this day , wishing and praying that he would see his little wooden head again. He promised right then and there that he was never going to let his son disappear from his life. Now , they were going to be the family that Geppetto had always wished for .

"_Meow!_"Went Figaro as he purred against Geppetto`s calves .

"Figaro! Oh Figaro!" Pinocchio cried happily when Geppetto picked up the cat .Cleo did perfect flip and tricks in here bowl , leaping with joy to see Pinocchio again. "Cleo! You`re here too!"

"Yes," Geppetto chuckled ."We are all together again!"He hugged Pinocchio and the happy purring cat tighter.

"Hello? Is anyone gonna help us?" Went Lampwick`s voice."Were stuck do here!"

"Who was that?"Geppetto said looking around in the blackness.

"There are more father!" Pinocchio said and then he leapt down from his father`s arms."My friends are down there!"

Geppetto instantly wanted to help Pinocchio`s friends . Any friend of Pinocchio was a friend of his , especially ones who helped Pinocchio find him. So, one by one Geppetto pulled three boys of different ages and a bright young woman to the safety of his boat. They all were soaked to the bone and looked beyond exhausted . Geppetto didn`t have a word to say , this was after all very sudden. "These are my friends , Lampwick , Fred , Frankie, and Miriam . " At each name , a kid raised their hand and the little one ,Frankie, even extended his arm like a polite gentleman to shake hands with Pinoke`s father. Geppetto warmly excepted the gesture and shook back.

"They came here to help me rescue you!" Pinocchio beamed raising up his wooden hands. Geppetto noticed that the boy was in different clothing now. Before he wore lederhosen , a black jacket , and a bright blue bow tie along with his Tyrolean cap. Now the boy had on a simple white shirt and a pair of now ripped pants. His hands where gloveless , showing off each jointed figure. He matched each of the other boys and the only difference between clothing was the color of the pants. The colors varied with Pinocchio`s red and Lampwick`s dark blue , Fred wore trousers made of brown cloth and Frankie`s was a sort of maroon color .

"Thank you ,"Geppetto said , shaking each boys hand. "Thank you for reuniting me with my little wooden head. "

"Any time," Fred said casually .

Jiminy, on top of Pinocchio`s shoulder , whispered in the little wooden boy`s ear. "Now would be a good time to explain thing to your father."

"Father..." Pinocchio began ,ringing his piney hands . " I need to explain where I`ve been ...I know I`ve been a bad boy and I`m sorry that I disappointed you..."

"Pinocchio my son , you never disappoint me. "Geppetto said , picking his son up in his arms." I`ll love you forever , no matter what your going to become and what you do in life."

"You mean that ?" Pinocchio said , looking in father`s matching blue eyes.

"Of course I do ! I have no reason to tell my son a lie."

"So ...even if I was an actor and a donkey , you`d still love me?" Pinocchio asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Pinocchio then got on a wooden box and began to tell his tale .

"Well, it all started that day you sent me off to school. I was going` to school till I met someone. His name was Honest John . He told me that I could be famous and he took me off to the theatre. I loved bein` an actor! But I wanted to go home and share with you the money I earned. But then Stromboli told me that I couldn`t go home and I belonged to him. He locked me in a birdcage and then he told me that he was gonna place my face in everybody`s eyes ! And..and just `cause I was a gold brick he was gonna chop me into firewood. But Jiminy came to wish me luck and saw what kinda state I was in and then he tried to help me . But he couldn`t do it! Then the Blue Fairy came and I tried telling her my story but I lied and my nose grew ! I promised her I`d never lie again and she unlocked the cage and I got outta there. But then Honest John told d me I was allergic and needed a vacation to Pleasure Island. I hopped on the stage coach that night and left. That`s where I met Lampwick .We did all sorts of bad things and I`m sorry I ever did them! But then we turned into donkeys and where sold to a circus and it was awful! But Fred Frankie and Miriam helped me to find you! We escaped and became humans! Oh Father , I never wanna leave you again!" Pinocchio then jumped in his father's arms. "I never wanna be alone like that in my life!"

As Geppetto hugged Pinocchio he said . " But your never alone Pinocchio. You`ll always have friend and family to look after you. Come now."He motioned to the cabin of the boat. "I bet you are all starving . Let`s go inside and have some soup."

And so they did. Geppetto filled three bowls and three mugs full of fish stew, It didn`t have the most appealing scent and was reddish brown in color with floating white lumps.

"Uhhh..."Miriam said looking in her mug.

"It`s not as bad as it looks." Geppetto insured her .

Miriam took one sip and winced.

"It`s still pretty bad through."Geppetto admitted with a joking nature . Miriam laughed a bit , wiping away the extra soup left on her lips . Miriam and the rest told bits and pieces of the story of the escape that Pinocchio forgot to say during dinner .

"But it`s all I have left."Geppetto said on a sadder note."After tomorrow`s breakfast , we shall have nothing left to eat. The candles and matches have also begun to get low. Soon , we`ll be in darkness..."

"Then we gotta find a way out !" Pinocchio insisted as he sat next to his father.

"I`m afraid it isn`t that simple. The whale opens his mouth only when he`s eating . Other than that , it remains shut ... forever. I`ve tried to find a way , but I`ve never succeeded . I even built a raft."

"Don`t worry Pinocchio`s father, we`ll get out soon. I`ll try to think of an idea ."Lampwick said as he slurped through the remainders of his stew.

"Me too father!" Pinocchio said cheerfully .

"Well, you better sleep on it then."Geppetto said " We`ll get some rest and then we`ll devious a plan to escape. " He got up and placed the bowls that were all empty in the wash basin of the boat. The boys took off their wet clothing sans underwear . Geppetto placed the clothing out to dry on the rails . He allowed the boys to sleep in his bed for the night , but it was unclear where he was going to stay .

"But you should get some rest too!" Frankie said before he got in the bed .

"Don`t worry about me Frankie .I`ll be fine where ever I`ll sleep tonight. " Geppetto said ,patting the boy on his right shoulder and leading him to the bed.

It was rather crowded in the bed and Frankie and Fred used a pillow made out of a flour sack. Pinocchio and Lampwick slept on the other night. "Goodnight boys," Geppetto said as he tucked each one in. "Goodnight !" They replied back in unison . But before Geppetto blew out the candle , Figaro the cat strutted back into the cabin and walked to the bed. He leaped up onto the bed , jumped over Lampwick , and curled up under the covers against Pinocchio and instantly fell asleep. The little puppet laughed and rubbed the cat down .

Geppetto then turned off the lights and left the room And in their dreams , each boy was thinking of a way to escape .

**I hope you liked this chapter. I`m really glad I get to write Geppetto again, I only had him say a few line of dialogue in **_**A New Me**_**. I have one last chapter to do and then the action ! The next chapter is very moving for me to write , and it`s very sad for Lampwick . Please review!**


	18. Geppettos Promise

Though his mind was filled to the brim with thoughts, Lampwick slept peacefully. When he was a donkey, nighttime was his favorite time. It was then when he could dream his dreams and act out things no possible, such a being or human. One thing that he dreamed about the most was seeing his momma again. He never got to say a proper good bye or apologize for all the horrible things he did as a boy.

_Lampwick was sitting on the hills near the village under a huge oak tree. The air was warm with a nice gentle breeze. There was hardly a cloud in the endless blue sky. He moved his glance from the village below him to his momma next to him. She was simply reading one of her book, ruffling her hand through his red hair. She hummed a familiar tone that made Lampwick somewhat happier again. "Hi," She said looking down at her son. Lampwick smiled, sinking lower into the green grass. It was the most peaceful moment Lampwick had ever experienced in his entire life. It felt as though nothing bad could ever happen in the world. _

_But, like in reality, peace didn`t last forever. The sky on that sunshiny day grew as dark as ebony. The wind grew strong and powerful, the air was getting heavy with the sense of a storm coming. In a strong flash of lighting, the village and hill was gone. It had been replaced with a big open felid with absolutely no place to hide from the storm. Rain began to pelt the two. They needed a safe haven, but there was no place safe from the rain. "Run!" Lampwick`s mother told him. The two raced through the forest, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Lampwick was soon getting rather tired and soaked. He had finally made it to a tree, small and scrawny, but none the less a place to hide. As he turned around, he saw that his momma was gone. 7It seemed as though the wind had swooped her up in the furious storm. "Momma?" Lampwick cried. "Momma?" No answer. Nothing but the sound of his own voice and thunder snapping. "I don`t want to be alone!" He said as he slide beside the weak tree, that instantly feel . Lampwick was freezing cold in the rain and he had no protection . He was scarred."I don`t wanna be alone!... I don`t wanna be alone! …I don`t wanna be alone!..."_

Lampwick woke up saying loudly ,"I don`t wanna be alone."

"You`re not alone."A voice said. Lampwick turned to see Geppetto, holding a candlestick in hand , was right beside the bed. "I`m here."

Lampwick sighed , leaning up against the headboard. He did have nightmares before , and this one wasn`t even the most scary one. It was just , he felt so lost and alone in this world. When they escaped the whale , he would have no home, no family to love or care about him . He would live in orphaned until he was old enough to work in hard and odd jobs , such as the salt mines .

" I heard you screaming I don`t wanna be alone in your sleep."Geppetto asked."Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Lampwick said " I`m fine , it was just a bad dream."

"What was it about?" Geppetto asked.

Lampwick shook his head. "It`s nothing I wanna talk about."

"Well , alright then . Goodnight Lampwick..."Geppetto said as he walked out of the cabin.

"Wait!" Lampwick called. "Wait... it is something I ought talk about. " He hugged his knees. The pain of his mother's death pained him so in his heart. He could no longer keep the traumatic memory alone in his head , harassing him everyday .

"Well, I`m all ears. Just say what you have to say."Geppetto said . sitting on the chair next to the bed .

"I was a bad kid doing horrible things . But I had a reason why I was like that. My family wasn`t the best. My father was a drunk and he ... he did something I can never forgive him for..."

"What did he do?" Geppetto asked.

"He...he killed my mother. "Lampwick said , spirits falling with the remembrance of his mother and how he would never see her again." The day after he ..._murdered_ her I had to go live with my aunt and uncle . I was practically their slave. They made me do everything and Carlo always picked on me because I was smaller and younger than him . Every night they`d informed me that I was a son of vial monster and never amount to anything. I couldn`t stand them much longer so I ran away . Luckily they left for America the next day. I have no family here in Italy , they`ve all left . I don`t have anywhere to go ..."

Geppetto placed one warm and caring hand on the boy`s shoulder. " Lampwick, I promise you that you`ll have place to stay . Though Pinocchio and I are in a tight squeeze for budget considering this whole whale calamity , you`re always welcome to stay at our house. We`ll find a way..."

"Thank you !"Lampwick said , with a smile that seemed lost long ago reappearing on his face.

"Well get some rest Lampwick . Tomorrow we`ll escape ." Geppetto insured , leaving the room . He closed the door s Lampwick began to drift to sleep.

"Lampwick?" A voice said .

Lampwick got up and looked around, but he knew it was Jiminy Cricket speaking."Yes Jiminy ?" Lampwick asked .

"I`m sorry ."Jiminy said, location unknown to Lampwick .

"For what?"

"About everything . I didn`t know what your life was like before hand ; it must of been hard. "

Lampwick smiled again and spoke out in the blackness. "I`m sorry I called you a grasshopper and shoot you down a pool table."He laughed just loud enough to make Figaro stir in his peaceful and happy sleep next to Pinocchio.

Jiminy laughed along with the red head . "It`s not the first time that happened. Goodnight Lampwick ."Jiminy then slide in a empty match box on the shelf next to the crowded and full bed.

"Goodnight, " Lampwick said sliding back into bed. It felt nice to have the death of his mother off his chest . He thought nobody would understand him or be willing to help. _Pinoke`s got a nice father_ Lampwick told himself as he was about to fall asleep. _I only wish I had a father like his` ._


	19. Pinocchios Plan Comes to Action

In the morning, Geppetto and the rest finished off the soup and bread. They had nothing else but some salted fish to eat and Lampwick knew that, come evening, their stomachs would once again ach in hunger and begin to grow like a fierce lion. They had to find a way out soon, for them couldn`t last long with the little fish they had... So, all six people and Jiminy (plus even Figaro the cat) had gather around to figure an escape from Monstro.

"Okay, I know of two exits to the whale. The back one we don`t wanna go in, so the mouth is the only route. "Lampwick said, drawing the whale in the dusty wooden floor of the boat.

"And we are here…"Fred drew a boat in the middle of the whale picture .He then made a line with his figure up to the edge of the whale`s mouth.

"If you look at it, it seems rather simple."Miriam said examining the map of the whale.

"But alas!"Geppetto said, shaking his head. "He only opens his mouth when he is eating. And then the water will repel against us and only send us back do to the stomach."

"Then we gotta get outta the whale by making him send us out!" Pinocchio said, sounding as if it was the simples plan in the world. There were several ways they could do this, but Pinocchio didn`t know which way would work the best. As he put and the others put on there thinking caps, they brainstormed every possible idea, conversing whatever came to mind. They discussed every little deal. It seemed as though one tiny little detail blocked their way. Lampwick came up with the idea of making the whale cough them up by tickling the back of the throat. But it would be hard to club over the teeth. The thought and thought throughout the day. Hours seemed to tick by. Suddenly, hungry reared its ugly head again and Geppetto suggested smoking the fish.

An idea flicked in Pinocchio's head. "A fire! … With lotsa smoke!"

"Yes," Geppetto agreed. "Smoked fish is quite tasty …."

"No, no father!" Pinocchio said running into the cabin of the boat. "This fir isn't going to cook the fish! We could use lots of smoke to make the whale sneeze us out! Trust me I got a plan!"

Geppetto then used the logs that he had left to create a gigantic bonfire outside on the boat. The flame quickly blossomed into a full fire that warmed the dank insides of the whale. But Pinocchio wasn`t happy with the size, he thought they needed a bigger fire. So he grabbed the only chairs in the place and throw them along with the burring logs. "Pinocchio! Not the chairs!" Geppetto cried seeing this. "It`s gonna help us escape. "Pinocchio insured his father. "Do we have anymore wood?"

Geppetto unwilling threw some of his practice projects in the fire, including his look-a-like Pinocchio puppet. Besides, he had the real Pinocchio now and he didn`t need a model to keep him company. Even parts of the boat was placed along with everything. Everyone was so focused on building the fire that they forgot they need to go up through the throat. When Pinocchio realized this. He placed the thick quilt over the flame, creating dark ebony clouds of smoke that made everyone gag. "Fred you grab Cleo and Frankie hold onto Figaro. "Pinocchio ordered like a general in battle. The two followed the puppet`s orders, holding on tightly to the pets.

Miriam gave one effortless leap off the boat and spread out her arms."Jump Lampwick!" She encouraged him. Lampwick jumped into the black water that was so dark that he felt as though he was sticking his head in a bottle of pure ink. The only light was the fire that was vastly consuming the wood. "C`Mon!" Lampwick said to Pinocchio as he rose through the water.

Everyone had jumped off the boat and soon they where journey up to the esophagus through the whale. They had just had made it to the mouth when Monstro began to feel the effects of smoke. Black fog began to erupt from his blowhole. "Ah…ahh…!"The whale began opening his mouth, letting water soaring his mouth.

The waves began to push them back towards where their journey had began, but they stayed ever so focused to get out. They blocked the foam with their hands, trying to reach the teeth. As the whale began to sneeze they had leaped over the teeth and became free! The sperm whale`s sneeze had blow the escapers about a hundred feet though the waves.

"We made it!" Frankie cheered. But there was little time to celebrate. The whale was begging to suck them back in his vacuum like mouth! "

"We`re going back!" Miriam screamed, holding onto Lampwick`s back for she couldn`t swim. Lampwick, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Fred, and Frankie tried to fight through the force, but it became hard. After a few seconds of struggling, the whale gave out another big sneeze, blowing them farther in the water.

Monstro then got steamed up. He roared in anger, following the people who came out of his mouth. "Uh-oh!"Geppetto said. "He`s really mad now!" And so the whale chase began!


	20. Whale Chase

Monstro was glowing red with anger. His eyes looked as though he was posed by a demon and smoke came jetting out of the mouth and blow hole of this great beast."Swim!" Fred cried , holding onto Cleo`s bowl with one arm and the other was used to help him propel through the sea-foamy water. The whale began to race towards them , extinguishing the fire within his stomach by swallowing gallons and gallons of water . Her was aiming to swallow the boys and the old man. He raced through the foam that over lapped him. He missed his aim though , and slithered under them .

Pinocchio and his father where slipping off the whale like a slide. They rolled down his wet , slippery , dark storm cloud grey back . They screamed in pure terror , holding on to each other in fear. At the end of the tail , they gang was flicked off just as easy.

When Monstro figured out that he hadn`t gotten rid of the boy and his family , the whale gave a moan of pure frustration. He then made a full one hundred eighty degree turn , splashing spare foam and waves this way and that. Miriam who sat on Lampwick`s back (who was indeed struggling through the rough waves) turned around to met eye to eye with the monster. She screamed din fear , making Lampwick nearly throw he off. Miriam was stinking like the way she was when they escaped the catacombs. She rose out of the ocean , only to struggle above. Lampwick , in panic, was about to dive after here until he saw the whale , guzzling up water and chasing after them. "Oh the humanity!"He cried , making a desperate dive under the waves in order to protect himself and save Miriam ,a damsel in distress .

She was chocking and gagging on salty water , forgetting the incident just days before . When she saw Lampwick she knew that it was he who saved her from her near death in the sea that night. She saw in her hazy memories of that dreadful night , the outline of Lampwick`s hair and the color of ginger that streaked the black figure. And now , the boy was doing it again , he was saving her life! Lampwick grabbed onto Miriam`s dress and dragged her above to the surface . They both gasped down air greedily , re-filling their lungs with the sought after oxygen .

"Get on my back ,"Lampwick moaned as he gasped. Miriam followed her savior's orders and willingly held onto the boy's strongly built shoulders . Lampwick , after carrying Miriam through the night during that storm , thought this was easier. Lampwick could see the entire scene . There was Monstro , creating tsunami sized waves as Pinocchio and his father swiftly swam around the rocky Italian coast.

Geppetto was too weak to swim anymore so the little puppet boy and his friends where trying to encourage the tired old man to swim . Lampwick needed to help Geppetto , for the man was his best friend`s father and only source of pure joy. Lampwick paddled with his friend gripping tightly to him over to Pinocchio . It was quite easy considering all they had to do was float upon the monstrous waves that the whale had created.

"...Swim for shore Pinocchio ," Geppetto said as he stunk below . Pinocchio grabbed on his father`s suspenders and pulled him up. "I won`t go without you!" Pinocchio cried , helping his father . Monstro , however , was vastly approaching them , with his teeth bearing in the late evening sunlight that glowed behind him .

Pinocchio then had yet another idea . Holding on tight to his father , he and the others swam for the rocky Italian coast . Though the directions where unspoken , they each knew what they were going to do . In one rather large rock formation , a cave was carved into it. "Swim this way !"He yelled to the others. Hidden amongst the foam and waves , they floated to the cave. Monstro swam faster and faster towards them . Those puny humans where almost in his clutches ! They were almost his!

Truth be told , though , Monstro wasn`t the sharpest knife in the drawer . Flipping his fins rapidly , he swam towards the people , who rode the waves in to the cave. But , he underestimated his size and banged into the solid brown walk wall. His head ached and felt as though it was on fire. He had no energy left and allowed his weak body to float on the waves. In the next few minutes , Monstro , the great beast who terrorized what seemed to be the entire peninsula that was Italy, both humans on land and fish in the sea , was no more.

Luckily , Monstro had made such a splash that Pinocchio and the rest were floated through the cave to a small beach . Geppetto was the first to land on the beach gasping for breath "Pinocchio ...swim...swim for shore!" He said , not realizing that he was on the shore himself. In the next few littler waves , Figaro and Cleo (by some miracle in her bowl) where washed up next to him. Geppetto got up and looked around. In small little crest of foam that aided their exhausted bodies , one by one , the boys came ashore. They chocked on the salty water that filled their mouths, and gave sighs of exhaustion and relief to be on dry land.

Pinocchio was the last to come on to the beach . There wasn`t a near purely exhausted limb in his little wooden body. But the boy was just happy to be on land again . He could no live in peace with his father , like it was meant to be if he hadn`t gone with Honest John that September day that seemed eons ago . Pinocchio crawled using his little strength that was left from the swim up to his father. He hugged his father close whispering "We made it father! We`re home!" Geppetto held his son in his arms as waves and foam continued to splash over the two . "I`ll never let you go Pinocchio."

Miriam got to her knees and said "Miracles do happen when you believe."

Geppetto smiled and replied "Miracles are made in the heart. " It was a small moment of silence as the group got to their weak and tired feet. Now after so long , the donkey boys where finally going home , back where they`d have real meals , friends to laugh with , and family to love them.

**I still got five chapters left to write . All the time I wrote this I listened to "When You Believe" from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. I guess the song sort of wraps up this story. Miracles do happen when you believe and just keep holding on in dark times because one day , help will come. It`s a really beautiful song and if you haven`t heard it , go on to YouTube and type in "When You Believe" Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.**


	21. Home Again At Last!

It was nearly nightfall when they reached the village. Stars hung over the sleepy old town like polished diamonds .It was exactly like the way Jiminy Cricket had seen it when he first visited Geppetto shop so many weeks ago. Only, candles light the lampposts and shined through closed curtains of the little homes along the crocked streets of the town. They were all freezing cold and still dripping wet from the whale chase, but very content to be home again. Even though, the dread of facing no family had Lampwick worrying again. Though, kind old Geppetto had promised Lampwick that he was always free to stay at the woodcarver`s home. This made Lampwick feel somewhat happy to know he had a bed to sleep on and most likely a meal to eat tomorrow.

"Where is your home?" Geppetto asked Frankie as they walked. Pinocchio, who was so exhausted that he was almost asleep, was cradled in Geppetto warm arms.

"It isn`t too far from here, "Frankie assured him. As the eight-some walked and Jiminy cricket hopped alongside them , they passed warm inventing houses with the yellow glow of a roaring and comforting fire inside. Pinocchio could hear and see people laughing and enjoying themselves as they feasted on their supper. Pinocchio was a tad bit hungry, but he didn`t want to complain to his father because he was focused on going home.

Frankie soon led the group to a nice little house. It was typical Italian style, with fine adobe colored brick, deep brown shingles upon the roof tops, and a balcony made of fine ebony metal. The house was two stories with three quant bedrooms. Frankie had one bed room to himself because his sisters shared one of the others. He recalled what his room look like and thought of the warm bed inside. This comforted him , thinking that he no longer had to sleep on itchy scratchy hay on a barn floor .

Seeing his home after such a long time of being a donkey Frankie`s heart leapt with joy . He ran down the cobble stone street with his bare feet banging against it. and water flying off his clothing into the puddles along the road. He could see that behind the curtains people toasting wine glasses and laughing. He knew that dinner was on the table ,ready to eat. This made him even more happy , think of all the lovely things that humans where allowed to eat and donkeys where prohibited from ever sampling . He rushed up to the shiny golden doorknocker and pounded against the door. Inside with the silhouettes on the curtains, he saw a woman walk away from the table surrounded by happy ,joyful people, in order to answer the door.

A woman , about age thirty five with mossy brown hair hidden by a bonnet and the same green eyes that Frankie had inherited from her. No doubt she was clearly Frankie`s mother.

"Mama..." Frankie breathed , happiness tears coming up.

"Frankie ! You`re home!" She cried , silvery tears budding up in her eyes. She picked up her little boy (even though he was soaking wet and his hair was dripping little droplets ) in her shaking with joy arms and hugged him tight, making her blouse wet as well . "Oh... I thought something horrible happened to you!"

At this Lampwick felt as though a dagger had plunged into his heart. He had no mother that would wrap her caring arms around him .

"I fine Mama .I`m here...." Frankie said , crying the same amount as his momma . He hugged again , laying his head close to her heart. He knew in his heart that he must tell his momma the whole truth about his bad behavior on Pleasure Island and the time that he spent at the circus.

" Momma ,I was ...a donkey .. Frankie began , but a boy about his own age came to the door. The boy had brown hair that was as deep as mud and eyes to match . He wore a sailor suit that seemed to be freshly washed and pressed. The brown hair atop his head was wet , signaling that he had recently just had a soak in the bathtub.

"Frankie!"The boy said as his eyes glowed with surprise , and his voice matching to suggest he was happy to see Frankie.

"Alexander! How did you become human ?" Frankie asked , voice clearly showing shock that that was even possible.

Alexander laughed slightly , but Frankie could tell the laugh wasn`t whole heartedly. His laugh had a bit of sadness of the remembrance of being a donkey . "I didn`t drink the beer the Coachman gave me . I still had my ability to speak. I told my master. At first he didn`t believe it , but soon the Coachman was sentenced to a life in prison for illegal kidnapping of boys . The Blue Fairy ..."

"The Blue Fairy?"Pinocchio repeated , stunned to know that she had helped the others. He didn`t know anyone else that the Fairy was helped with a struggle in their lives.

"Yes , she said that we could become boys again , but we had to do many good deeds to earn the privilege."Alexander said nodding . "I just came home an hour ago after three months living at a farm. I explained everything , they know what happened to us . I`m glad to be back and to know that you're safe too!" He hugged his cousin tightly . "Me too Alex !"Frankie said back .

Frankie`s momma then noticed the others behind her little boy . "Who are these people ?" Frankie then explained everything right at the door to his mother and cousin . He explained ( though Alexander had told the story before , but with his experiences) Pleasure Island and the circus and why he was sopping wet. In the end , his momma excepted his apology for being such a bad little boy. She thanked everyone from the bottom of her heat that they had brought her little boy home again.

"Supper`s almost ready Frankie and everyone came here to celebrate Alex coming home again . I bet they`ll be just as pleased to see you again. "She said .

"Can Fred stay and have dinner ?" Frankie asked his mother , prying away from her chest to meet eye to eye.

She indeed thought it was a wonderful idea , for these boys had helped save Frankie from the terrible fate of being a donkey. "Of course he can. Why don`t you come on in for some supper ?"She said motioning to everyone that stood before her doorway.

Geppetto nodded but said politely "That`s awfully kind of you to offer. But I need to take these three home. I think Pinocchio has had enough of being away from home."

"I`ll stay here , Mr. Geppetto," Fred said walking into the home`s door way ."It`s is best for me to stay here while I figure out my living situation for now . " Alexander lead Fred and Frankie into the warm , comforting house and they disappeared into the glowing yellow candle light. A few minutes later, Pinocchio saw their figures appear with the drinking crowd , who hugged the two small silhouettes . Pinocchio heard shouting and joyful cries .

"I can`t thank you boys enough !" Frankie`s mother said , with tears budding up in her eyes again and her voice cracking . "You have saved my little boy from sure terror as a circus donkey . And with that you are in my eternal debt . "

"You`re very welcome ,Miriam said nodding.

"Anytime!"Pinocchio yawned cheerfully , for he was quite tired from the swim .

They soon left the house ,biding their farewells to Frankie , Fred and Alexander . Lampwick held Cleo and her bowl close to him and Pinocchio carried the damp and unhappy Figaro in his arms and his consicne atop of his shoulders .Miriam walked along side Geppetto who held Pinocchio`s little wooden hand. Lampwick stood next to his best friend , a smile upon his tired young face.

Lampwick was glad Geppetto had allowed him to stay , no questions asked . Indeed , the young boy had never seen such generosity towards himself. It was very kind of Geppetto to offer home and food to Lampwick and Miriam as well.

After a little walk through the village , they came to the shop that Geppetto called home. It was a small Tuscan built home with a seconded story that had vine reaching towards the starlight , a fine broad porch made out of cobble stone . Pinocchio breathed in the cool night air . He had finally come home, the place he had yearned for so long , the place that was his little safe haven in the back of his mind as he endured his tribulations as a donkey. Geppetto opened the door and lead his son and his friends inside.

It was much more dusty than Pinocchio had remembered it. The passing of time had put it toll upon the entire house . Cobwebs littered the rafters and ceiling , dust covering every object in sight. The house looked blank and lifeless as though someone had moved out. Geppetto breathed in the dusty air , triggering a horse cough though . The months living in the whale had left him weak with sickness."I`m so happy to be home again !"He said as he got over his coughing fit . "Eh, Figaro ?" The cat , who leapt down from Pinocchio`s grasp as soon as they walked through the door , nodded and shook off droplets from his black fur.

Pinocchio gave a big yawn . " Well , I know that each of us is exhausted . Why don`t get some sleep?" Geppetto suggested. Miriam nodded , yawing wide herself .

Geppetto dug through his chest of drawers and found three nightshirts that where different sizes (one very small for Pinocchio , one medium one for Lampwick that was from Geppetto`s teenage years , and one of his own possessions). He also found a beautiful pink nightgown made of fine cloth that was his wife's when she was alive. When Miriam put the night gown on , she looked the spitting image of Rosemary ,except for Miriam`s golden yellow hair , which Rosemary's hair was pitch black in her younger years before it became sliver. Geppetto allowed Miriam to sleep in the guest room , leaving Pinocchio and Lampwick to sleep in the attic . While Miriam slept in a real bed for the first time in her entire life, Pinocchio and Lampwick slept in the attic that night.

The attic wasn`t much except for an old bed brass bred frame , a few very dusty and old trunks , an armoire that`s mirror was broken off and missing a handle , and a few planks of pine wood. None the less , Geppetto made is very comfortable for the boys to sleep in. He padded the floor with many quilts he found amidst the trunks and in the armoire and tucked the two between some very warm blankets woven long ago . Jiminy Cricket decided to sleep in a match box in the attic , which was his bed of choice . He had Pinocchio place the box on a trunk next to the sleeping boys so that he was above them , as though he was protecting them from harm.

When they were comfortable , he kissed Pinocchio upon his fore head and hugged him . "Goodnight , my little wooden head" He said , as he tucked Pinocchio in tighter .

Lampwick watched , somewhat hurt by this . He was very happy for Pinocchio , but still he envied his best friend . Lampwick wished and longed he could have a father like Geppetto , for his own was the polar opposite. Deep inside the boy`s heart he always had a yearning for a family that was never constantly fighting over stupid little thing and the role model wasn`t always getting drunk. Though , it was indeed impossible . Geppetto would only see Lampwick as a house guest and not a family member. In a sense , he was still an orphan . But he had a home and that mattered .

"Goodnight Lampwick ,"said Geppetto as he walked off with the candle and descended down the rickety stair way .

_Home again at last ,_ Pinocchio thought before drifting off into a deep sleep with the feeling of knowing that he was safe from anymore harm. A feeling that he had waited for so long.


	22. Mending the Pieces

The next day , Pinocchio and Lampwick headed for school. It was very similar to the day Pinocchio first stepped out into the wide, wonderful world ( or that`s at least what he thought of it then). The air was light and fresh , but yet December had a chill amongst it breezes . Boys and girls of different age groups skipped and hopped off to school. Geppetto entrusted Lampwick to look after little Pinocchio and make sure that his little wooden head didn`t get into any more trouble , though Jiminy Cricket was secretly hidden under the little boys Tyrolean cap. Lampwick and Pinocchio , unlike the other boys and girls , did not carry their book to school like he did when he was first going to school. His father was too poor to buy two , let alone one , more primer for learning . But Geppetto promised that he would get his son a real book in the market that afternoon by selling his coat.

"But Father !"Pinocchio said standing on the stone step of Geppetto`s Workshop . "Won`t you be cold ?"

" No I won`t ."Geppetto insisted . "That coat made me too warm ." He offered a small smile , but his eyes were clearly exhausted and sickened .. Pinocchio thought that this was because of the many days inside Monstro. But despite this , Geppetto seemed to stay himself . _If only there was some way I could help you father!_, Pinocchio though as he walked off to school.

Following the trail of students , Pinocchio and Lampwick soon found themselves at school . It was an old one room school house that had been in the village of Colldi for ages . The white paint atop the wood was flaking off and the golden painted shudders were very cricked. Boys and girls talked and played in front of the schoolhouse and the younger ones played with toys and games such as marbles and tops.

Imagine their surprise to see a live puppet without things walking into the school house. Those mischievous boys where laughing until their sides hurt and it seemed everlasting . But yet ,some of them where intrigued by this sight and asked all sorts of questions. In the end ,though , the people who laughed and the people who didn`t came to respect Pinocchio and became friends with him and Lampwick.

Pinocchio and Lampwick studied hard that day. Pinocchio was learning to do sums and recognize his alphabet . He very dearly wanted to learn how to read and write, but it seemed impossible for him. It was just too hard . Lampwick , on the other hand , caught up to his age group in no time. After school was done for the day , Pinocchio asked Lampwick if he could teach him how to read. Lampwick accepted willingly and told the little boy that he would start the lessons as soon as the holiday came.

And just like that it was Christmas eve. Pinocchio woke up and felt a chill that morning . He hugged his quilt around himself , climbed up on a trunk near the window and looked outside . The window was covered in some sort of mist and Pinocchio had to clear a hole with his hand in order to look out. It was a sight to behold! White powder coved the entire village in a frosty cold blanket. Pinocchio was unsure what this was. The little boy woke up Lampwick and an back to the window . " What`s all this stuff on the ground ?"He asked in curiosity . Lampwick explained that it was snow and you could play in it and make little balls and throw it at others. Pinocchio was excited by this and wanted to play in it badly . So the two boys ( in nothing by sweaters and scarves since they had no coats) and ran alongside Fred , Frankie Alexander, and Miriam as they threw snowballs and built forts along with the other children. It was the best time that Pinocchio had ever had.

Geppetto who was working fast on the large number of toy orders he got for the holiday. He watched his little boy from the window of the workshop. He was very pleased to see his boys so happy. But something also pleased him. He was glad to see that Lampwick was also having fun in a raging snowball war . Geppetto took pity on the boy , for he had no family. Geppetto promised that the boy was always welcomed at his home . There just had to be a way to make him feel like he did have a home and a family. But Geppetto didn`t know how to do this.

The next day it was Christmas. Even in such a poor finical state , it was a splendid holiday for Pinocchio and the rest. That morning they had some warm bread roll and coffee for dipping. Though he had little money, Geppetto had somehow scrounged a few presents for his family. A fine little music box for Miriam that had a dancing couple atop the blue base , a little horse that rolled around for Pinocchio , and a fine box that had his initials carved into it for Lampwick. Lampwick planned to keep the picture of his momma if he ever found it. He was sure someone would have a copy.

Supper that night was scrumptious, even if very little was placed upon the table. A small little hen had been roasted that afternoon was served up with a bowl of finely seasoned potatoes and peas. For desert they had a helping of fig pudding. After dinner they sat by the fire and chatted . Pinocchio sat on the floor playing with his gift that he had received.

Though Pinocchio yearned for it to stay , the snow soon melted into glorious springtime. He was happy though that the days where getting longer and warmer so he could stay out and play longer. The two however , did not play as much as they wished. They worked hard . Lampwick had received a job on a farm ,where he fed and took care of the donkeys and cows. Pinocchio and Miriam got the task of drawing up a hundred buckets of water each for the farmer by his windlass (though Miriam had to get over her phobia of the farmer`s dog). Together their salaries equaled just enough to buy more food . As a result of better nutrition , Geppetto was getting healthier and stronger every day .

Not only that , but Pinocchio and Lampwick learned how to make baskets out of reeds. They sold each basket for profit on the Saturday market in town . All of this effort was made to help kind old Geppetto. Lampwick felt that he forever owed the man for his kindness and generosity over the past few months. For five long months the three cared for Geppetto buy paying him with the lira they received .

On top of that , every night after school and work, Lampwick helped Pinocchio with his schooling. Geppetto had a slate board and Lampwick used that to write letters an numerals upon it to teach Pinocchio. In regular school, Pinocchio and Lampwick became model students . They were the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave after lessons. Pinocchio was learning to read quickly by the aid of Lampwick and he soon was reading sentences that Lampwick wrote upon the slate. He was learning to write too and could spell a bunch of words. At last Lampwick deemed Pinocchio ready to be reading a book.

Lampwick had two options for stories for Pinocchio to practice reading. A collection of battle stories that Geppetto had inherited from his father and a large book by a Danish fellow by the name of Hans Christian Anderson . Lampwick opted for the fairy tale collection and had Pinocchio read the first story .

"The...Little...Mermaid, "Pinocchio read uneasily as he sat on the chair beside Lampwick in front of the fire . "What`s a mermaid?" He asked.

"Well, it's kind of a cross between Cleo and a human."Lampwick said ." A mermaid has a human upper body and the lower half of a fish." Lampwick moved to one of the front pages. "Ahh , there`s one." He pointed to a fish woman sitting on the rocks near a great castle next to the title page.

Now that Pinocchio had understood what a mermaid washed began to read on."Far out in the sea where the ocean is a blue as the bluest cornflower..." He read. Occasionally , Lampwick had to aid Pinocchio through a word or explain an object or phrase. Overall , Pinocchio did great for his first time reading. He enjoyed the author`s description of the human world and under the sea. At the very end , he was saddened by the mermaid`s death and yet pleased to read that she became a daughter of the air.

"That was a good story!" He said when he closed the book. "Are there any others like this?"

So every night after school and work , Pinocchio read Anderson`s Tales aloud ( though he did not notice that the other where paying attention to the story as well) and practiced his writing skill on the slate. Thins where never better for anyone in this small and close , but unrelated family. They had everything they could ever wish for. Food , comfort , and friends to enjoy life with. But yet Pinocchio longed to be a real boy in order to please his father.

For five long months Lampwick worked hard until he was very tired. After a successful market day selling basket, he offered all his money to Geppetto . "No son," Geppetto said refusing the money and pushing it back into the boy`s hand. " It`s all yours. You have earned it ." Lampwick then decided to spend the money on candy at one of the village stores . He walked through town with his coins jingling in hand until something caught his eye. A woman with only a moth-eaten blanket as her only warmth sat upon the stairs. In her arms there was a pale, sick child of four months who was screaming in pain. "Help! Somebody please help us! My baby is sick!" She cried through his screams. Despite this , no one paid attention to her condition.

Lampwick took empathy on them. Though his momma wasn`t as poor as the woman on the stairs , he still felt their pain. It seemed as though the sickness upon both mother and child represented the curse of his father abusive and drunken nature. It seemed as though no one was going to help Lampwick and his momma at that point in time. He knew what was the right thing to do.

"Hi ,"He said gently ,trying not to scare the child. The woman looked up and saw the redhead pleasant face . "Take this."He said offering his coins to her." It isn`t much , but it will help."

The tears budded up from fear for her life and her baby`s and pure terror became tears of hope ."Thank you kind sir!" She cried taking the coins ."Send my love to the folks at home!"

Lampwick walked off towards Geppetto`s workshop, though he was penniless and had no candy , was in a good spirit , knowing that he did something good for another person . He hoped she and her baby would get better. When he got home, Pinocchio asked what happen to the candy.

" They didn`t have anything good. No matter, I`ll get it later when they re-stocked." was his reply .

That night Lampwick and Pinocchio stayed up late until midnight instead of their usual sleep time of ten `o'clock . And instead of making ten baskets , they made sixteen for the market the next day. By candle light , they worked long and hard at their weaving. Finally , at the point of exhaustion , they where to tired to carry on, so they fell into a deep sleep . And it was that very night that the Blue Fairy decided Pinocchio had earned his wish...

**Author`s notes: You might of realized that this chapter is very similar to the original novel . I liked how in the book Carlo Colldi had a chapter about Pinocchio`s character change and his work ethic in order to help his father. I wanted to have one that included the family`s many adjustments to life . Also , you might of notice I said Miriam is very afraid of dogs. Donkeys have a phobia of wolves and dogs are to similar . Being a donkey by birth , Miriam still has this fear. Please review and the next chapter is coming up soon!**


	23. Two Dreams

That night both Lampwick and Pinocchio had very strange dreams. Both felt so real that they could feel everything as though in real life. Both where very meaningful. Lampwick`s though, meant something very dear to his heart.

_Lampwick was standing in front of a brick house that was covered in vines. His old home. The very home he was born in the bedroom upstairs, the very home that he learned to walk and talk in, the home where he was loved. But sadly, this was the place his momma was murdered those many months ago. Though she was gone, candle light illuminated up the window, send crisp golden light through. No doubt, someone was home. Suddenly the door creaked open and Lampwick could see a figure of a woman in her mid-t with auburn hair thirties standing in the door was._

"_Momma..." He breathed. His excitement overtook him and he leapt into her warm and caring arms. She hugged him close and smiled. In Lampwick`s dreams beforehand, there was really no physical communication and the only word spoke was a simple hello. He was glad to see her again, and for once, he let his self-pride go and allowed himself to weep with joy. "I`m proud of you." His mother said stroking his red hair atop his head._

"_But momma," Lampwick retorted through his happy tears."I`ve been a bad boy, I`ve done so many things wrong…"_

"_You're my son and I love you," She said quietly. "Nothing more could make me more proud." They hugged one last time and she kissed him upon his fore head and the dream disappeared into golden light._

Pinocchio on the other hand, had not his mother in his dream, for he had none. Instead though, he had the closest thing to a motherly figure in his life, the Blue Fairy.

_She was standing, as beautiful as ever in front of him. Her blonde hair was pulled back by a tiara topped with a sparkling star and her eyes where just as magnificent, as blue as the night sky. Her robes swayed in the night wind. "Bravo Pinocchio! "She said."In return for your good heart, I forgive your past misdeeds. You have proved yourself brave, truthful, and unselfish these past months. Children who love their parents when they are sick and poor are worthy of praise and desire to have their wish come true.. Be good in the future , and you and your entire family will be happy." And with that she flicked her magic wand and the dream faded into blue and sliver light."_


	24. A Happy Ending

Pinocchio awoke as soon as the dream ended. It felt so real , as though it actually happen. It was rather silly of himself to think that it was true. He yawned loudly and stretched out his arms, remembering today was market day and that he needed to go down and sell the baskets with Lampwick in order to help his small little family. His eyes still blurry with sleep Pinocchio rubbed up and down on his face with his hands.

But it didn`t feel wooden/ like it was before. It felt like flesh. Gasping in amazement Pinocchio stretched out his arm before him. No longer did wooden joints hold his limbs together. No longer was his skin designed by wood markings .He rung his hands ,feeling the relief of the soothing feel of his now fleshy hands and traced his palm lines. He was what he wished to be... a real boy!

Unexpectedly he cheered excitedly after seeing this. Pinocchio then noticed his surroundings for once. He was a simply , but elegantly furnished room. The broken armoire was fixed like magic and ne no longer slept upon quilts on a floor. He was in comfortable bed with a brand-new blue and white quilt upon his lap. Pinocchio looked round again and saw a wash basin, a bed side table , and another bed . He leapt out of his bed , getting to his now human feet to see that his nightshirt was brand new. Pinocchio gazed into the mirror to see if this dream was true.

And just as he wished and prayed for, he was a boy like any other in the reflection of himself. A boy with black hair, olive skin, and deep sapphire blue eyes was staring back at him! _I gotta tell father! _Pinocchio thought. He was about to race downstairs when he was a lump in the next bed over . "Lampwick!" Pinocchio cried ,running shaking the boy awake to tell him the good news. Only Lampwick`s fire red hair could be seen from under the covers.

Lampwick gave a groan and mumbled " Five more minutes ". He pulled the quilt up high so his entire body was submersed under his sheets .

"Lampwick I`m a real boy!" Pinocchio cried , heart and mind bursting with joy. He did not need to shake , this time Lampwick actually flipped off the covers . "Wait! what did you say?" One glance however , made Lampwick realize that Pinocchio was not lying. His best friend who use to be a wooden marionette was now a true boy , flesh and all!

Lampwick gave a smile and before he could react with happiness for his friend , Pinocchio had flow like a dove down the stairwell . "Father ! Father!"Pinocchio cried over and over again , awaking the entire household. Lampwick followed Pinocchio`s actions and walked downstairs. Before him , he could see Pinocchio embraced in his father arms . Miriam stood alongside them, holding Figaro in her arms , with a shock , but equally as happy look on her face."This calls for a celebration!"Geppetto said as he ran with Pinocchio atop of his shoulder to the clocks and hitting them with the palm of his hand in order for the cuckoo clocks to make boisterous noise . Geppetto set off his fancy music boxes that he carved by hand crying "Music professor!"as he pressed the button on a conductor`s music box.

The woodcarver and his boy began to dance about as Geppetto played his fancy accordion . Figaro flipped into Cleo's fish bowl and kissed her on her watery lips, before joining Pinocchio to dance. Jiminy Cricket chuckled a bit and said "Well this is practically where I came in!" He smiled , whistling a fair tone similar to that of the accordion as he crawled through the open window.

It was still relatively dark outside and the sky was glittered by the moon and stars. He looked upon the wishing star and said , taking off his hat , "Thank you Miss Fairy. He deserved to be a real boy..."

A glow of golden light circled him ."What the?" Jiminy said looking at the brilliance around him. It vanished to revile a badge - made of solid gold!- that said "Official Conscience " upon his jacket. "Why I`ll be!" He cried astounded, chuckling slightly . He shinned the badge with his shirt to make it glimmer more. " Solid gold too! Oh , I think it`s swell!" He looked up to the star with a smile as it twinkled brightly like a polished gem as if to say" You`re welcome".

Eventually , the party ended and Pinocchio began to play with his kitten who purred up against the boys feet. Lampwick watched the boy marvel at his skin knowing that it was no longer wooden. "Lampwick may I speak with you?"Geppetto called from the kitchen .

Lampwick walked into the kitchen where Geppetto was making breakfast upon the cheap stove . The old man gave a sigh as though he was beckoning on courage in order to say it , for he had never done such a thing in his life.. " How would you feel if I adopted you?"

Lampwick blinked and rubbed his eyes , staggered by what Geppetto just said. "Excuse me?" He asked , his ears didn`t believe it.

"I mean," said the woodcarver. "You`re already like a son to me. Why not make it official by me adopting you and making myself you legal guardian ?"

Lampwick didn`t think anyone would do such an action for him. When his mother passed on from her untimely and tragic death , he felt as though no one would ever love or care for him anymore. He felt lost and alone in this world , and perhaps , he only went to Pleasure Island in order to cheer himself up with a game of pool and some cigars and junk food. Before that though , he thought he was just another orphan , only to work hard and odd jobs for the rest of his miserable life. For Geppetto to adopt him was outstanding! t was a dream come true!. Having another father that actually cared would be great.

Lampwick hugged Geppetto ,who was surprised by to see how well the boy took it."I think it`s swell!" He then realized that by being adopted by Pinocchio`s father that it would make him the boy`s older brother. Even in his wildest dreams he never thought that he could be a brother to his best friend, who he only met eight months before on a coach to a place was suppose to be fun.

Lampwick ran to Pinocchio and picked him up, holding him close , for he couldn`t get over the excitement within him . "My brother... my very own brother."Lampwick said. Pinocchio stuttered in amazement , blink hard to try to believe what Lampwick just said. Lampwick explained the entire story to Pinocchio, Jiminy and Miriam.

"I can`t believe it!" Pinocchio cried looking out at the wishing star in the window as it glowed radiantly. "Two miracles !"

Even though Pleasure Island had turned them into donkeys , ironically it had made their lives better aided them to get what they always wished for. Pinocchio became a real boy , Miriam became a human , Geppetto got the son_s_ he wished upon a star for , and Lampwick got what he wanted most - a family. It couldn`t of happen without Pleasure Island. Though he could never replace his mother , she stayed very dear to his heart. In the end , everything turn out just swell.

Who knew that such an evil and dark curse set upon some naive boys could bring together a group of friends and made them a family? Fate is awfully funny like that.

**The End...or a new beginning ?**

**This is the final chapter ( will I do have an Epilogue coming up soon so you can wait for that). I`m a bit sad to stop writing this , it was my favorite to write. Thank you all reviewrs for sticking with me for this long of a time.**


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